Modern Day Konoha 2
by Shreedin
Summary: Sequel to my first story, Modern Day Konoha. Loaded with sick parties, sweet rides, and a new plot. This sequel promises humongous drama you won't want to miss. SasuSaku/NaruIno
1. Chapter 1: Prologue

**Chapter 1: Prologue**

_Ino's POV_

I've never regretted moving to Konoha two years ago. Sure, I missed everyone who I left behind in my home town, but I was moving on to a new future. I have new best friends: Sakura Haruno, the daughter of a successful pair of movie directors/producers, Sasuke Uchiha, the heir of his deceased parent's corporate company, and my boyfriend, Naruto Uzumaki, the son of Konoha Intelligence Agency agents. Every day with them is amazing; they're such great people. At first I was an addition to the tight trio, but now I know that I've been accepted as a member of their group and turned their group of three into one of four.

Sakura is my best girl friend. Most people around town know her as the outgoing daughter of those two movie buffs, but after getting to know her, I can tell she's got her insecurities and doesn't have the perfect life everyone thinks she has. We've become each other's best friends, knowing exactly what the other needs during a hard time. (Ice cream for me, and shopping for her!). If I may, I'd say that we are the closest of friends anyone could have.

Sasuke is a little less open, but I've gotten to know him pretty well too. He's Sakura's boyfriend and I still can't believe they haven't been together for longer than they have. Sure, it's been two years, but with their chemistry and perfect-couple image, you would've thought that they were soul mates from the beginning. Sasuke's a pretty good guy, tends to keep to himself, but is open around Naruto, Sakura, and now me. The moment Sasuke warmed up to me was the moment I knew I was in with them.

…Now to Naruto. I don't even know where to start! I think I'm in love. That pretty much sums it all up. He's the most amazing guy I've ever met, so open and carefree and _always_ smiling. Naruto can be hyperactive and fun during the day, but cool and romantic at night. Sometimes I wonder how I ended up with him. Oh, right, it was the first party that I went to when I first moved to Konoha… Naruto's party. I sang on stage that night, and we hit it off right away on the dance floor. Then afterwards he invited me to stay after the party with Sasuke and Sakura. That's right, _that'_s when we started. Man, that was such a wonderful night; I met the man of my dreams.

After that party things started to happen pretty fast. I barely got a taste of the fast life of Upper Konoha before I was thrust into the whirlwind of government operations. At another one of Naruto's parties, the four of us were abducted by Konoha Intelligence Agency operatives and taken to KIA headquarters, where Naruto learned that his father was actually the fourth Hokage (the head of the entire Agency). His father had left Naruto with a key before he died that helped the current Hokage take out the terrorist group, Akatsuki. With that key and cooperation from the Sunagakure Intelligence Agency, KIA was able to destroy the threat once and for all. Oh, and we also won the war against Sound.

All that happened two years ago, and since then our lives have been as easy as they can be. With persuasion from my friends, I've signed a record deal with my parents and my first album went multi-platinum. No one was as surprised as me. Once I built up my own bank account separate from my parents', I decided to move in with Naruto. We share his condo in Upper Konoha and at first we would fight over closet space, but we've worked it out. I moved in about three months ago. Now that I live closer to everyone (it was a 30 minute drive to Upper Konoha from West Konoha Hills, where my family's estate is) life's been awesome. It's all about the nightlife here; it's normal to sleep at 3am and wake up at 1pm, and that's just if you have dinner at The Strip (Upper Konoha's wealthy retail district)!

There's never a dull moment here. In fact, there are so many things to do that it's impossible to get to all of it! But tonight was a special night, a night that we couldn't miss for our lives.

Tonight was Sakura's 21st birthday, probably her most important birthday in her life, besides her 16th and 18th. The four of us, Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, and I, were having an early dinner at Setsuna's, our favorite restaurant along The Strip. After our private dinner, Sakura was hosting a very public party at her penthouse in Haruno Tower. It was going to be a busy night.

We all held filled wine glasses in our hands as we watched the hands of the watch on Naruto's outstretched hand tick the seconds away. "3…2…1! Happy birthday, Sakura!" Naruto counted down then shouted. Right when the clock hit 8:20pm, we raised our glasses to our lips and sipped the red liquid to celebrate. I put my wine glass back on the table, smiling at the birthday girl.

"Oh, man, that was the best wine I have ever tasted, especially since it was – finally—legal!" Sakura said, grinning. Being the last of us to turn 21, as I had turned 21 six months ago and both Naruto and Sasuke were 23, she was also the last to have her first legal drink.

"Yes, well, congrats and all, but let's get to presents!" I said giddily, pulling a large, gift-wrapped box from below the table and handing it to Sakura.

"Oh, you didn't have to get me anything," she started.

"What are you saying? Of course I had to get you something! Now open it!" I urged her on, pulling out my phone to take a picture. I watched as she carefully took off the bow and wrapping paper, taking care not to make a mess. When she finally took the lid off the box her eyes lit up.

"OH MY GOD NO WAY!" she squealed when she saw what was inside. My present to her was a pair of high-heeled Christian Louboutin black leather ankle boots. "But… how did you know I've been dying to get these?"

I smiled. "Extreme vigilance." Sakura raised her eyebrows at me and I laughed. "Alright, alright, I've actually been stalking you and I noticed you drooling over these, so I got them for you." She laughed and shook her head, acknowledging my joke as she pulled the shoes out of the box. Bringing one of the shoes to her face, she kissed it, posing for my camera. I snapped the picture.

"Thanks so much, Ino," she said, giving me a genuine smile while putting the shoes back into the box and closing the lid.

"I'm next!" Naruto declared next to me. He pulled a silver bag from under his chair and handed it to Sakura. She gratefully accepted it, separating the tissue paper and removing the small wrapped box nestled inside. Sakura pulled it out and flipped open the lid to reveal a pink digital camera.

"Thanks Naruto!" Sakura said, turning the camera over in her hand and smiled at the blond.

"Hey, that's not all there is to it! I've already recorded something on there, check it out!" Naruto said, pointing at the device. With a questioning look, Sakura turned on the camera and accessed the recorded videos. Sasuke, sitting next to her, leaned over to watch the video Naruto had me record of him earlier. Even though I couldn't see what they were seeing on the little screen from across the table, since I had recorded it I knew exactly what they were watching: Naruto rapping a happy birthday message. Sakura laughed harder as the clip progressed and even Sasuke started to chuckle.

When they were finished watching it, Sakura was in tears from laughter. "Oh—oh my gosh, Naruto, you're such a terrible rapper!" Naruto shrugged and smiled. "But I love you! Thank you so much!" She came around the table to give him a hug. Before she returned to her seat, she gave me a hug too. After Sakura recovered from her bouts of laughter at hearing Naruto rap, Sasuke handed her his present.

"Here, Sakura," he said, giving her a long silver box. It was so obviously a jewelry box and I raised my eyebrow, curious. She took the box from his hands, a slight blush going over her cheeks. Even after two years of being together, Sakura still blushed when it came to Sasuke. _That's so sweet!_ I thought to myself.

I leaned over the table a little to see what Sasuke had gotten her. Resting on a little pillow inside the box was a small pendant attached to a delicate silver chain. The pendant was in the shape of two interlaced hearts, each lined with green gemstones. It was sparkly and shiny and twinkling and everything a girl could want.

A wide-eyed Sakura silently watched Sasuke take the box from her hands, removing the necklace. He undid the clasp and held it up. Sakura, snapping back to reality, hastily moved her pink hair to the side, allowing Sasuke to secure the necklace around her neck. "It matches your eyes perfectly," he said before he brought his lips to hers. Sakura wrapped her hand around the necklace, squeezing it tightly, her other hand going around her boyfriend's neck. He pulled back a little and whispered intimately against her lips, "Happy birthday."

Naruto and I watched as they continued to kiss, and before things got a little too far Naruto lightly coughed into his fist. "Ahem."

The couple broke apart, a heavy rose covering Sakura's cheeks and Sasuke grinning coolly. "So… is it time to party yet?" I asked.

Sakura checked the time on her phone. "It's 9… The party starts at 10. Yeah, we should go."

"Alriiiight! Let's go!" Naruto cheered, standing up. We walked out of the restaurant and out into the street towards Naruto's orange Lamborghini. The lights of the city blended together as we zoomed down the streets towards Haruno Tower, music blasting, revving up for the night that was just beginning.


	2. Chapter 2: Presents for Pinky

**Chapter 2: Presents for Pinky**

_Sasuke's POV_

"…And that's how I found Akamaru!" Our friend from school, Kiba, had just told us about how he had found and adopted his dog, Akamaru. We were standing in Sakura's penthouse in Haruno Tower, waiting for everyone to arrive for the party. The DJ was playing the music low, allowing for before-party conversation.

I looked down at myself. As sort of a way to identify each other through the crowd, Sakura had the four of us wear a certain color that no one else was allowed to wear, namely, pink. Big surprise, yeah? Anyway, Naruto was wearing a pink vest over his white shirt and jeans, Ino was wearing a rose colored dress, and I had put on a light pink button-down shirt with my black pants. I was a man who loved black, and was wearing pink. Sakura wasn't wearing anything pink, though, saying that her hair would suffice.

When I first looked in the mirror with the shirt on, I felt like a fool. Then Sakura looked at me and told me how hot guys are in pink, and I instantly changed my mind. I kept all my objections to the shirt to myself after that.

"That's so sweet, Kiba! We definitely need to meet Akamaru. Oh! I know, how about you bring him to the shoot Tuesday?" said Sakura beside me.

"Do you think they'll let him in?" Kiba asked.

"I'm sure they will, he's trained right? Just tell the Vendi guys that you won't model for them unless he can come. You're their main model, so I'm sure you'll be able to get Akamaru " Ino answered. I internally cringed slightly at the reminder of the Vendi photo shoot that we were going to participate in next Tuesday. During one of Ino and Sakura's shopping trips along The Strip, they ran into the head photographer for Vendi, a high-end fashion label. He had been looking for models for a new fashion collection and instantly loved the girls' look. They then showed the man pictures of Naruto, Kiba, and me, and he hired us all. I wasn't dreading the shoot, but I wasn't exactly excited about it either. Naruto, on the other hand, was looking forward to the shoot. "Who knows, it could be fun! And maybe more people will want to hire us," he had said.

"Yeah… Yeah, okay! You guys can meet Akamaru then," Kiba smiled at us. Right then Naruto's party planner, whom Sakura had hired for her party tonight in the blond's recommendation, came up to us.

"Excuse me, but Sakura, everyone's arrived. Want to do cake now?" she asked, peering at her clipboard.

"Sure," Sakura pulled me along with her towards the cake, a five-tiered masterpiece with sugar-blown bubbles along the sides of a multi-colored fondant covering over different flavors of cake. At the top was a _21_ candle and _Sakura Haruno_ was written with a ribbon at the base of the cake. It was about two and a half feet tall, and sat on a small table.

We reached the cake and took pictures. Waiters began to cut the cake and circulate pieces of it around the room. After enjoying some red velvet, chocolate, and vanilla cake, upon Sakura's request the DJ turned the music up. The regular lights went off and the strobe lights were turned on. May the party begin.

* * *

><p>About two hours later the party was in full swing. Ino was currently on stage, singing her latest single. I was dancing with Sakura and Naruto, getting into the music. Sakura, who was dancing in front of me, turned around and wrapped her arms around my neck. I put my hands on her waist and we kept moving to the music. "Having fun?" she asked.<p>

"Of course," I responded, catching her lips in a kiss. She broke it, and backed away. I was about to pull her back but she smiled at me and provided an explanation.

"I'll be right back okay? I have to go check on something," she blended back into the crowd before I could do anything. I shrugged to myself and resumed my dancing.

"Let me get my ladies up here! Let's go!" Ino shouted into the mike after her song. Tenten and Temari strutted up to the stage. "Alright, we've got a little something for you guys as a thank you for coming up tonight. DJ!" Ino prompted, leaving the microphone with the DJ.

"Um, do you know what's going on?" Naruto asked, coming up next to me as we watched the girls stand in a formation.

"No idea," I responded. They didn't mention anything to us prior to this moment. The crowd had turned their full attention to the girls up on stage, who had just kicked off their heels and were now barefoot. Much to everyone's surprise, they all unzipped their dresses. Slipping them off, they revealed what they were wearing underneath: black shorts made of that stretchy material girls always wore, I think they were called spandex, and pink tank tops. I looked over to Naruto and noticed that he was visibly relieved that his girlfriend wasn't stripping naked for the crowd. I turned my attention back to the stage, where the DJ was playing Feedback by Janet Jackson. It was an old song, but the girls had made a killer dance routine to it. The three displayed this routine, wowing all of us.

"_Stum me like a guitar/ blow out my amplifier/ when you hear some feedback/ keep going take it higher…"_ the speakers pounded. They had a sassy routine, pulling out their best moves in perfect synchronization. They had probably spent at least a month perfecting this dance. Towards the end of their show, Ino took up the microphone again.

"Let's say happy birthday to our birthday girl, Sakura!" Ino announced and raised her hand in the direction of the stairs and Sakura began walking up them, wearing the same outfit as the other three, but with a glittery fedora on her head. _So she left me to change _I realized. A smile came to my face as the girls did their routine again, this time with Sakura up front and leading them. She was a terrific dancer, as always.

Naruto threw his arm around my shoulders and cupped his hand around his mouth, shouting, "YEAH! INO, SAKURA! WOOOO!" After their second round of dancing, the four jumped down from the stage and Ino and Sakura made our way over to us.

"How was that guys?" Ino asked with a smirk.

"You guys looked hella hot," Naruto said, drawing her close and kissing her on the lips. I did the same thing to Sakura, who was blushing. I asked her why her cheeks were so red.

"I don't think I danced that well. Did I just make a fool of myself up there?" she said, self-consciously. I held her out at arm's length and looked her up and down. She looked delicate in the tank top and spandex shorts, but also very attractive. I could tell she danced her heart out up there, and did a very good job too. I pulled her back to me.

"You were amazing. Every guy in the room probably fell for you just watching you walk onto the stage," I whispered into her ear over the music.

"Too bad I love only one of them back," she replied. I kissed her then, weaving my fingers through her soft hair and bringing her even closer. We stayed like that, dancing and kissing, until the party was over. I felt slightly guilty that I wasn't letting her mingle with other people at her own party, but I wasn't about to let her go anytime soon. And she didn't seem to mind my greediness either.

* * *

><p>"Best. Birthday. Yet," Naruto sighed. He was laying on Sakura's couch, head resting in Ino's lap. The light blonde stroked her fingers through my best friend's hair, leaning over to give him a kiss. He sighed again.<p>

"Glad to know you had fun. Here," Sakura reentered the room, holding a tray with glasses of water and was passing them out to the three of us. After Ino and Naruto took theirs, she brought hers and mine over to the seat I was sitting in. She handed me the cool glass and took a seat sideways on my lap, dangling her legs over the arm of the chair. I stroked the skin of her leg, barely covered by her shorts, which were riding up.

"When do you plan on tackling all of _that_?" Ino asked, gesturing to the gigantic pile of gift boxes and bags that were stacked up in the corner of the foyer.

"As soon as possible. It won't take long," Sakura shrugged.

"What do you mean? There are at least a hundred presents over there," Naruto pointed out, looking over at the girl on my lap.

"Yeah, but I told everyone to write checks. There aren't any actual presents over there. I guess people felt bad and made the packaging all pretty."

"Wait, why did you have them give you money?" Ino asked curiously.

"I didn't tell you yet? I'm going to donate all my birthday money," Sakura said with a smile. I squeezed her knee. Sakura _would_ donate the money. She was always thinking of others before herself, and frankly, she didn't have a need for the extra cash. Ino nodded her head and took a sip of water.

Naruto's jaw dropped open. "Donate? Wow, Sakura, you're a lot better than me. If I were you, I'd spend that money on a new car for your collection!"

"Yeah, well, I just bought a blue Tesla. At 14 vehicles, I think my luxury car collection is doing pretty well, don't you agree? Plus, if I wanted to spend money on a new car, I'd rather spend money that I've _earned_. Which is why I'm so excited for the shoot Tuesday!" Sakura did a little happy dance in my lap.

"Hell yes! I'm stoked for that thing! Tuesday can't come any faster!" Naruto threw his hands up in the air. Ino laughed. "We're gunna be on billboards, magazines, catalogs, mall displays… It can't get any better than that! Now we only need to find a way to get on the Silver Screen and BAM we're world-wide superstars!" Naruto continued.

I internally groaned. Externally, I merely sighed. Sakura, sensing my discontent, turned her head to me. "Why aren't you excited?"

"I don't see how it's going to be so great seeing our faces all over the city."

Naruto sat up, giving me a _you're absurd!_ face. "Teme, think about it, if you can see your face everywhere, _so can people who want to hire us_. This is our chance to get some big bucks of our own! To stop relying on our parent's bank accounts! Our own chance to make a name for _ourselves_."

"Alright alright, I never said I was backing out, did I?" I said, shaking my head with a small smile. Naruto was good at changing people's views on things.

Ino yawned and Sakura took notice. "If you want, you guys can spend the night over. The guest bedroom's always open to you guys."

"Sure, thanks Sakura-chan. I'll make breakfast tomorrow!" Naruto exclaimed, standing up from the couch, Ino right behind him, rolling her eyes.

"Don't worry, Sakura, I won't let him near your stove in the morning," she smirked.

"Hey, it can't be that hard to make eggs and toast!" Naruto complained. Ino didn't responded to him with a smile. The two disappeared down the hall and the guest bedroom door closed with a click.

Sakura quickly adjusted herself on my lap so she was straddling me. I grabbed her drink and mine, placing the glasses on the coffee table to get them out of the way as she ran her hands through my hair. "Thank you for coming tonight. Oh, and _you're_ difintely spending the night here with me," she whispered, placing her forehead against mine.

"That's a pointless thing to say; of course I would be here for your birthday. And I would've stayed with or without the invitation," I said back. She sighed as I ran my fingers along her toned thighs that were on either side of my own. She brought her head down to mine, lips meeting in a passionate kiss. I moved my hands from her thighs to her bottom, then reaching under her shirt to touch her spine. She shuddered and leaned back, bringing her hands to the front of my shirt, undoing the buttons quickly. Soon my shirt was off and her tank top was on the floor.

I was about to bring her head back to mine when I heard a chuckle. I opened my eyes and saw Naruto standing there, leaning over to grab the glasses of water that Ino and he had left before going into the bedroom. Seeing my icy glare, he held his hands up with a smirk. "Hey, don't let me interrupt." I imagined what he was probably seeing: Sakura, wearing only tight spandex shorts and a bra, straddling a shirtless me. Sakura, cheeks flustered and lips slightly swollen from our kissing, climbed off of me and stood up, finger pointing at Naruto.

"Hey! I know I said you could stay over, but seriously? You had to come out _right now?"_ She was adorable when mad.

Naruto put his hands back up innocently and shrugged. "Not my fault you guys couldn't wait to get to a room before jumping each other's bones."

"NARUTO!" Sakura shouted, crossing her arms over her chest, hands balled into fists.

A door in the hallway opened and Ino's head poked out. "What's going on here?.. Oh," Ino laughed when she saw the situation. She walked out quickly, grabbing Naruto by the ear and dragging him back to their room, saying apologies and to carry on. When they were in the room for good, I chuckled.

"That Naruto, always butting his head into other people's business!" Sakura fumed. I stood up and scooped her up into my arms.

"He did have a point, we should get a room," I said. The anger in her eyes gave way to desire and she wrapped her arms around my neck, kissing me. I carried her into her room and shut the door.

* * *

><p><strong>Review, please! Constructive criticism is appreciated.<strong>


	3. Chapter 3: Cameras

**Chapter 3: Cameras**

_Ino's POV_

I opened my eyes to see blue ones looking right back at me. I lied perfectly still, absorbing the morning sun that was streaming through the window behind Naruto, making him shine like an angel. _My angel._ Slowly, he brought his hand up to cup my face. I did a mental inventory of my body, and found that I was wearing panties and one of Naruto's tee shirts.

I blinked, once, twice, eliminating the drag that came with waking up. Fully awake and aware, I ran my fingers along Naruto's outstretched arm. Ever so slowly, he brought our faces together, meeting me in a kiss. It was light and warm, a good morning kiss. I smiled against his lips, which tasted like toothpaste. How long had he been up?

I decided to deepen the kiss when he sighed against my lips. He rolled himself on top of me, and that's when I realized he was without a shirt. My fingers stroked his back, drawing little patterns and swirls on his skin. His kisses left me breathless, so I turned my head to the side to catch my breath. Naruto moved his lips to my neck and I looked at the clock on the nightstand. _11:03am_. The display also alerted me that it was Tuesday. I turned my head back to Naruto and he kissed me. I pulled back, holding his face between my hands. "Good morning," he said.

"Good morning. It's Tuesday," I said with a smile, which he returned.

"Are you ready for the photo shoot?"

"Do I look ready?" I laughed, "My hair's probably a wreck and I'm not made up nor dressed."

Naruto moved his mouth right to my ear and whispered, "But that's when you look the best."

I blushed. "But-"

He pulled back to look me in the eyes. "Trust me, you look amazing when you're disheveled." Then he climbed off of me and off the bed, walking into the bathroom.

I sat up, stretching my arms over my head. "I don't know if I should take that as a compliment or an insult."

"Definitely a compliment. We should go soon; Sakura called and told me that the Vendi people want us at their studio by 11:45."

I sighed and got up from the bed, running my hand through my long hair. I walked into the bathroom and heard Naruto bustling around in the adjoining walk-in closet that we shared. "Are we supposed to wear anything specific?" he asked me.

"Wear whatever you want. And don't do your hair. They're going to put us in their clothes and do our hair and makeup there, so all you have to do is be a clean palette they can work on," I answered, then turned on the water for a shower.

After I was all washed up and wearing a simple pair of jeans and tee shirt with a jacket, Naruto and I climbed into my silver Audi R8 and drove off to the Vendi studio.

* * *

><p>Naruto and I walked into the room that the secretary at the door had directed us too. Inside was basically a huge dressing room, with lit-up vanity tables and women and men in black walking around holding curling irons and makeup brushes. It was quite a production. I spotted Sakura at one of the vanities, holding a catalog and discussing with a Vendi employee. I took Naruto's hand and we walked over.<p>

"Oh, hey guys! There you are!" Sakura said when she saw us. We greeted her and Sasuke and Kiba, who were reclining in their seats nearby. Naruto went over to talk to them and I stood behind Sakura's chair, looking at the book she had open on her lap.

"What's that?"

"This is Vendi's spring/summer collection catalog. This is the collection we're modeling. They're actually letting us choose what we want to wear in the pictures! The head photographer -Takumi, over there - told us to work out who's wearing what. We're going to the beach and one couple's going to model swimwear in the water, another's going to model street wear in the grass near the sand, and Kiba's going to be the men's suits model. Then we're going to come back here and you and I are going to model shoes, which we _also_ get to choose, the guys will model watches and whatnot, and Kiba will do more singles. Afterwards we're modeling their evening sub-collection as a group. Sound good?" Sakura responded enthusiastically.

"Um yeah, so I guess Naruto and I can take the street wear and you and Sasuke can do swimwear?"

"Okay!" Sakura said happily. She turned her chair around so she was facing me and started doing a little dance in her seat.

"I thought you didn't like cameras?"

She stopped her dance and looked up at me, crossing her arms. "I hate the _paparazzi._ Modeling is a little different."

"Sure it is," I rolled my eyes playfully and took the catalog from her hands. "So which outfit are you going to wear?"

She flipped a few pages and showed me a page full of stylish monokinis, and pointed out a picture of a red one. It was a halter-style bandeau on top and bikini on bottom, with a metal loop chain connecting the two halves down the front of the stomach area, essentially making it a one-piece swim suit. It was very stylish and the color fit Sakura perfectly. The matching men's suit was a pair of black swim trunks. "That's a really nice one!" I said.

"I know! I'm going to wear silver bangles with it. What do you think?" She looked up at me with a hopeful look.

"I think it'll look great," I said reassuringly.

I browsed the catalog for my own outfit. A photo instantly popped out at me. It was a blue and white striped shirt made of a light, airy material and the neckline was large enough to be off-the-shoulder. It was paired with white shorts with a rope belt and a white straw hat. There was a men's complimentary outfit, which was simply a pair of navy cargos. It was implied that the male model would be shirtless. I ran my finger over the photo, drawing Sakura's attention.

"Oooh, that's a really good one! That's perfect for you guys!" Sakura said, clapping her hands together. I continued to admire the set of outfits I had chosen when someone approached us.

"Hello, ladies, have we chosen our sets yet?" Takumi, the head photographer who had hired us, said with a kind smile. He had a thin frame and was wearing skinny jeans, a green v-neck tee shirt, and a checkered scarf with canvas shoes. On his face he had smile wrinkles near his eyes and looked to be about 30-something. He had the "nice, artsy guy" aura about him, and I instantly felt cheerful in his presence. Apparently Sakura felt the same, because she plucked the catalog from my hands and showed Takumi what we had selected. He gestured for his assistant to come over and retrieve the outfits we had chosen. "Very good, very good. You all will look stunning in those," he complimented, flashing us his sweet smile, showing two rows of perfectly white and straight teeth.

He walked away, but not before he got us started on hair and makeup. I was led to the station between Sakura and Sasuke and two stylists came to my side. They started to airbrush foundation over my face and spread powder over my eyes. I felt them put on false eyelashes and mess with my hair. I closed my eyes and relaxed while I was being made up.

"Okay, how is this?" One of my stylists said, prompting me to open my eyes. In the mirror I saw long, stick-straight blonde hair falling past my shoulders, framing a flawless face with a full set of eyelashes and glossy red lips. I truly looked and felt like a model.

"Oh my gosh, that looks great," I said in awe.

"_You_ look great," Sakura said from next to me. I turned my head to look at her. She had her arms and legs crossed and chair facing me, having been finished a few minutes earlier. Her hair and makeup was like mine, except that her pink hair fell in soft waves, whereas mine was straight.

"You _both_ look great," Naruto said, walking over to us, Sasuke and Kiba at his side. The guys hadn't had as much work done on them, but their faces had been lightly airbrushed as well. Their hair was also tastefully styled into the pretty-boy look.

I felt something wet against my toes and looked down, startled, to see a little white dog licking my feet.

"Akamaru!" Sakura squealed, coming over to my station and picking up the dog, making kissy noises to it. "You're so adorable! Aww!"

Kiba smiled, hands in his pockets. "Oh yeah, guys, this is Akamaru, the dog I was talking about at Sakura's birthday." I reached up and stroked the dog cradled in Sakura's arms. Another pair of hands gently took the dog out of her arms.

"Okay, okay, yes you are so cute, but please don't get fur over my superstars okay, little guy?" Takumi said. I didn't notice him coming over. He held Akamaru like a baby, and while scratching his belly, spoke to us. "Alright, so the crew is done loading the cameras and things, and now all that's left to pack are you five. When you're ready, let me know and I'll lead you to the caravan."

"We're ready now!" Naruto immediately replied.

"Well, okay then, let's go!" Takumi led us down a hallway then out to the parking lot, where a large truck and several smaller cars were parked. The photographer ushered us into one of the smaller cars and stuck Kiba in the driver's seat, telling him to follow the big truck to the shoot set.

The drive to the seashore took an hour, and when we finally arrived assistants began setting up tents and lighting equipment in the sand. They sat all of us down and touched up our hair and makeup, re-glossing our lips and re-spraying our hair. When that was finished, we were handed the hangers of the outfits we were going to wear for the shoot. Female assistants held up towels around our bodies as we changed into our shoot clothes.

The swimsuit looked even better on Sakura than it did in the catalog. It fit her perfectly and she really rocked the look. The sea breeze was picking up, and Takumi noted that he wouldn't need the fans they had brought out, and Sakura started to shiver. Someone in the crew handed her an over-sized windbreaker and she put it on, shielding herself from the cold. She looked at me with my outfit on. "Lookin' good," she commented with raised eyebrows. I laughed and returned her compliment.

The guys walked over from their tent then, Naruto wearing the navy cargos that complimented my outfit, Sasuke wearing the black trunks that went with Sakura's monokini. Kiba was still in his own clothes, since the entirety of his shoot would happen back at the studio. He was just along for the ride.

Sasuke put his bare arm around Sakura's shoulders, taking the breeze better than she was. Takumi walked over then, seemingly giddy. "Okay guys, we're going to get the shots with Naruto and Ino right now. Come with me." He led us to a huge patch of sand dune grass where cameras were already set up, as well as some lighting system. Everything was powered by a cord that trailed back to the large truck.

Takumi positioned us in front of the grass, telling Naruto to nuzzle my neck and for me to smile into the camera. We did just so, and the shutter flickered about ten times. He positioned us in a new pose, where we sat in the sand, Naruto's arm around me, and turned our heads to the camera, smiling. We did several poses after that, and it was a lot more fun that I thought it would be. To get us in the right mood, Takumi would shout from behind the lens, "You're having fun! You're enjoying yourselves! It's a fun and romantic day at the beach! Yes, that's it! Perfect, just like that!"

When the photographer believed he got a sufficient amount of shots, we returned to the tent and looked at the preview of the pictures. Before he showed us the photos, Takumi said "Now, don't be too worried, these pictures have yet to be edited, although you two were so perfect I doubt much will have to be tweaked. Amazing!" He showed us the photos on a small laptop screen and as we watched the slideshow, I was wowed by myself. I never thought that I could look that good! Naruto always looked amazing, and these pictures were further proof of his angelic state of being.

"Ahem. Now, onto the swimsuit collection!" Takumi announced. He led Sakura and Sasuke out to the water with the rest of his crew. Naruto and I decided to stay back at the main tent, watching from afar.

We could hear Takumi's prompts from the edge of the water. "This one is sexy! You two are taking a hot, romantic swim together, yes, good, that's right, hand lower, mmhmm, perfect! Stay like that! Now, how about a little kiss? Okay, good, good. More sass, Sakura, dear. Alright. That's great! Just like that. Okay! I think we're good!"

They all walked back up, Sakura and Sasuke with Vendi towels wrapped around them. Takumi uploaded the pictures to the laptop as he had done with ours, and we looked at the freshly-taken photos. The first set was Sasuke's hands wrapped around Sakura, who had her back to him. She had her arms wrapped around his and was looking at the camera. He hair was blowing back artfully. The screen switched to a new set of pictures, where Sakura was turned towards Sasuke with her hand on his chest and head tilted up to look at his face, which was turned towards the camera with a sexy smirk. The last set of shots was a more playful one, where Sasuke was giving Sakura a piggyback ride through the waves. Sakura was kissing Sasuke's cheek and he was laughing. Their sets turned out very well.

"Takumi, you are an amazing photographer!" Sakura gave the man a half-hug.

"Aw, thank you, dear," Takumi replied. "Okay, now that we've got all our beach scenes done, it's time to head back to the studio. Pack up the cars, let's go, chop chop!"

* * *

><p>Back at the studio, Kiba was modeling a suit. It was a huge change from his usual jeans and tee shirt, but a good change overall. He looked more clean and sharp, posing in front of a white backdrop.<p>

"He's not so bad at this," Sakura said beside me. We'd already done the accessories shots and were changed into our evening stuff. Naruto and Sasuke were basically in the same attire as Kiba was, except without ties to make Kiba, the lead man, stand out more. We didn't get to choose the outfits for the formal shoot, and they had put Sakura in a floor-length golden dress with an oval-shaped cutout on her left side. My outfit was a short version of Sakura's dress, except that the cutout was a deep V that went all the way down to my belly button.

"Yeah. Who would've known Kiba could be a model?" I said, amused.

"You guys are up!" Takumi called from behind his camera. We walked in front of the white backdrop and received posing instructions. They were simple enough, since the goal was to look elegant.

Another two hour-long round of pictures and we were finally done.

"Thank you so much, thank you!" Takumi said joyfully as he kissed our cheeks in goodbye. We were back in our regular clothes, holding bags full of Vendi merchandise that the label had given to us as a gift for modeling for their collection.

"No, thank _you_, you're amazing and your talent truly lies with photography!" Sakura said.

"Aww, thank you, hon," he said to Sakura, then addressed all of us. "We'll be in contact with you all, and you five will be the first to know when the collection begins to run! Just so you know when to expect to see your faces in the ads around town." He winked at us. "Well, it's late now, so you had better be getting home. Goodbye now!"

* * *

><p>"I thought that that would be easier than recording an album, but I think I might be wrong!" I said tiredly. Naruto and I were home now and sitting on the couch.<p>

"Well, that's not so surprising, since you can sing in PJs, but you certainly can't model in them."

"Yeah, that's true." I sighed. My phone began to ring and I answered.

"Hello?"

"_Ino! I've got some really good news!" _Sakura sounded very excited.

"What's up?"

_"My parents are coming home!"_


	4. Chapter 4: Welcome Home

**Chapter 4: Welcome Home**

_Sakura's POV_

"Mom! Dad!" I embraced my parents as they came through the airport gate.

"Hello sweetie! Oh, how are you doing? We've missed you!" my mother replied, hugging me tighter.

"I've missed you too," I said, releasing my mother. She held me out at arm's length to get a good look at me.

"Has it really been a year? You haven't changed a bit!" she looked down at my shoes, "Oooh, are those Vendi? I love them!"

"Yeah, my friends and I did a shoot for them yesterday," I took one of my mother's suitcases and walked with them out of the airport to the garage.

"Ah yes, that's right you told me about that," my mom said. _Yeah, I called you yesterday morning. How could you have forgotten by now?_ I thought to myself. I've always had this inner frustration with my parents. They were always gone, which I couldn't blame them for because they were working after all, but when they cared to check up on me, they always talked about themselves. They asked about my day, sure, but when I told them about what I've been up to it seems that it goes in one ear and out the other. Sometimes I began to doubt that they really cared.

"So why are you guys back so soon?" I asked, putting their luggage into the trunk of my car.

"Honey, aren't you glad to see us?" My father said from the passenger's seat.

"Of course, I didn't mean that I don't want you here, it's just that I thought you guys were in the middle of a new project or something," I said hastily.

"Oh, honey, I'm just joking with you," my father said, "We're taking a break from the industry for a bit, actually, to take some time to think some new ideas. Our last project crashed when our lead actress got pregnant, you see, so we had to call it all off."

"And we thought we would drop in to wish our little girl a happy 21st birthday!" My mom said excitedly from the backseat. _They're a week late, but I guess it's the thought that counts._

"Thanks guys, I really appreciate you coming home for my birthday," I said with a smile. "So where am I taking you; to the house or the Tower?" Although my parent's owned Haruno Tower, they didn't actually live in it. They kept a home in West Konoha Hills as a place to stay for the somewhat rare occasions where they came back home to visit. I was the only one in our family to actually occupy a part of the Haruno building.

"Well, let's go to your penthouse, of course! I hope it's not too destroyed from the party I'm sure you threw," said my mother.

"Actually, it's all clean now. My party was on my birthday; _last week_," I didn't mean to say it so harshly. An uncomfortable silence fell between the three of us, and I felt bad for saying what I had said. Couldn't I have just played along and made a joke, or just said it nicer than how it had actually come out? I drove a little faster then, wanting to get to our destination as soon as possible.

"Well, here we are. Welcome back!" I said a little too cheerily. My parents looked up starry-eyed at the 50 story building they owned. It had been about just over a year since they had last came back to Konoha.

"Mr. and Mrs. Haruno, we have been awaiting your arrival. Welcome back," the doorman came up to us and greeted my parents, then he turned to me, "Miss Sakura, shall I park your car downstairs?" I nodded with an appreciative smile and handed over my keys. I usually declined all his offers to do things for me, wanting to take care of things myself, because after all, I'm not a helpless little girl, but I felt like I couldn't leave my parents standing outside the building or roaming around on their own while I handled the car. I wrote a mental note to tip the man twenty dollars later.

My mother knocked on the window of my car, and the doorman, now sitting in the driver's seat, rolled down the window, "Oh, and while you're at it, could you send our things up? All the bags are in the trunk. Thank you!" my mother said. I sighed. My mother's philosophy was that if someone offered something to you, you are to accept it, then milk it for all it's worth. I was sure I didn't inherit that trait, thank goodness.

Then I realized my mother's intention behind her request. "Wait, you two are staying with me for this visit?"

"Oh, honey, just for tonight! We'll get out of your hair in the morning. The cleaners have gotten a late start on preparing the house for us, so this is the only other place we could stay. It's nicer than a hotel, after all. Darling, of course we wouldn't spend the whole visit in your home! We don't want to intrude," my mother smiled at me. Relieved, I sighed. My parents didn't notice.

We walked into the building and over to the elevators. A number of long-time employees said hello to my parents, recognizing them, before the doors closed and sent us up to the 50th floor. Unlike both Naruto's and Sasuke's homes, the elevator in Haruno Tower wasn't able to access residences directly. So we walked down a small hallway until we reached my front door.

I slipped the key in and turned the knob. Music was blaring from the living room and all the lights were on. I distinctly remembered leaving an empty penthouse before going to the airport. _Oh jeez_ I thought to myself.

"What's all that noise?" My father said, following me to the living room.

The three of us turned the corner to quite a sight. Naruto, Ino, and Sasuke were on my couch. Last night I had called them to tell them that my parents were coming in today, but it was a surprise to me that they had actually come over to say hello. Sasuke and Ino were sitting and Naruto was standing, waving his arms in the air to the song playing on my sound system. In his hand he had a can of Coke.

"My goodness! Sakura, you didn't tell us you let in roommates!" My mother held and hand over her mouth, lightly horrified that someone would _stand_ on a sofa. I could tell she was trying to tone down her disapproval as to not offend anyone if they noticed her stare.

Hearing my mother's voice, Naruto turned to us, eyes wide like a kid who was caught sneaking in a cookie before dinner. He quickly hopped off the sofa and used a remote to shut off the music, walking over to us with Sasuke and Ino following him. "Hello! It's great to you two again, Mr. and Mrs. Haruno!" He shook their hands a little too enthusiastically.

"Mom, Dad, these are Naruto, Sasuke, and Ino. They're my _friends_, not my _roommates_. Don't you remember Naruto and Sasuke?"

"Ahhh, that's right. Uzumaki and Uchiha, pleasure to see you again, boys," my father had a much better memory than my mother. But that didn't mean it was in tip-top shape either. "And who's this one? Ino, you said?"

"Yes, sir, Ino Yamanaka, I believe we met last a year ago, when you last visited," Ino reminded politely, taking my father's hand in hers, shaking it firmly.

"Yamanaka! Oh yes, you are Inoichi's lovely daughter!" my mom's brain finally caught up. "How are your parents doing? It's been too long, we should catch up with them soon!"

"They're doing great, thank you."

"The music industry is doing very well. I'm sure that's all because of your parent's success," my father laughed.

"Well, I'm sure you are doing well in your industry too! Owning a building in Upper Konoha; this is prime real estate right here!" said Ino, holding her hands out as if encompassing the building.

"Yes, yes, we're all doing fine. How about we bring this conversation to the couch and I'll get us some drinks," I said, ushering the group over to the living room.

From the kitchen I could hear the group's conversation.

My father, "You there, Sasuke, congratulations on the family company! I see it's going well."

"Thank you, sir," was Sasuke's reply.

"Yes. Your father was always the one to start the good businesses. Smart man, see? I met him a few times, and your mother too. Good people. You should be proud to be their son."

I walked out with a tray of drinks then, set it on the table in the middle, then went to sit next to Sasuke. He rested his arm around the back of the sofa behind me.

"So, how is your latest movie coming along?" Naruto asked from beside Ino.

My mother answered. "Actually, we just trashed our latest idea. It was a no-go from the start. There were signs of failure were everywhere! First there was some trouble with the script editor, he was away on some other business or something, so that got finished way past our deadline. Next we cast the perfect crew then the actress who is to take the lead role, we can't disclose her identity to anyone unless the movie releases, sorry!, gets pregnant! And she was supposed to be playing a 16-year-old, and we can't have a pregnant woman be playing a 16-year-old, now can we?" My mom sighed. "I'm hoping that we can develop a new idea during this break."

"Well, good luck. I hope you find a good one! You've had so many great movies out that it must be awfully hard to outdo yourselves every time," commented Ino.

"Yes, well, we try," my father said, rather dismissively, and a bit curt. He looked deep in concentration, like he was about to explode. I knew this face well.

"Uh-oh, Daddy just thought of something," I smirked.

"Please excuse us," my father said, taking my mother's wrist and leading her to the hallway away from us. They began to have a whispered conversation.

"What... What's wrong?" Ino asked, frightened. "Did I offend him?"

"No! No, that's the face my Dad makes when he comes up with a new film idea. You probably inspired him, not offended him!"

"Why did they have to go into the hallway? Couldn't he have just said his idea in front of us? It's not like we'd tell anyone..." Naruto wondered aloud.

"It's some weird rule thing among movie people that they're not allowed to disclose information regarding a project. And right now, we're just regular people who will be paying to see the movie. If we already knew what was going to happen, why would we pay a dime to watch it?" I explained.

"Well... _I'd_ still go see it!" Naruto said stubbornly. "Hold up, does that mean they can't tell _you_ either?"

"Nope," I shook my head.

"That's B.S., dude! You're their daughter! You should be allowed to know this stuff! Don't they trust you?"

"Naruto, the rule's pretty solid. I'm not in the cast or crew, so I can't know any details. It's frustrating, I know."

"Aww, whatever happened to the perks of having connected parents?" Naruto pouted.

"Well, for one, I get to see movies before they're released!" I began. "And I live in this penthouse for no rent, have enough money to satisfy my need to expand my car collection, _and_-"

"Alright, alright, I get your point," Naruto held his hands up and grinned.

"Yeah, but I totally get what you're saying." I took a sip of water.

My parents came back in and sat down. My father spoke, "Kids, we have something important to tell you. Sorry for leaving the room so rudely, but when inspiration strikes, hey, you've got to get your ideas out! Anyway, we've quickly outlined the basis for a new picture. It's going to be about a man who starts out as a poor university student with a dream, then works his way up the corporate ladder and eventually comes out on top! Eh, eh? How's that!" We all nodded, absorbing the idea. "And that's not all! As with all our other infant projects, our minds went straight to the cast. After all, the cast is the most basic fundamental of a film! So, I'm going to be quite blank with this one, Sasuke, we would like to hire you to play the main part."

All eyes turned to Sasuke, who looked surprised. He put a hand on his chest, indicating himself. "Me? But, I have no acting experience!" he politely protested. It was one of those rare times where he was caught off guard. We all were, actually.

"Oh, don't you worry about that! I'm sure with your experience with your father's company, you'll be able to fit the role well. We'll be there to guide you, of course, and won't let you make any mistakes! So what do you say?" my mother leaned forward in her seat, anxious for an answer.

I looked at the dark haired man sitting next to me. His eyes met mine and a silent beg could be seen in them. I turned back to my parents. "Mom, Dad, why don't you cast someone else instead? Maybe one of the actors you haven't worked with in a while?" I attempted.

"Oh, don't be silly Sakura, Sasuke is perfect for this role; I can practically see him up on the screen already!" my mom said.

"But mom, he doesn't want to do it and you can't-"

"I'll take the role," Sasuke said. I looked up at him, wide-eyed, and he squeezed my shoulder, gaze never falling from my parents. "I'll do it."

My mother delicately bounced in her seat. "Excellent! I'll call the team and have them draft a script. Looks like our stay is going to be much longer than we had anticipated!"

"Wait, what?" I asked, confused. "You're going to stay longer than a week?"

"Well, if we're going to film a movie about a business, wouldn't Konoha be the perfect place to do it? Of course we have to film on site, and if home is the site, then we're staying!" My father said cheerily. After thinking about it for a few moments, having my parents filming in Konoha wouldn't be so bad. If they were to film anywhere else, then they'd have to take their crew with them. And that would mean Sasuke would have to go. But this way he got to stay. I supposed it couldn't get much better than that!

Naruto interrupted my thoughts. "Hold on, Sakura was just telling us about that rule where you can't tell people outside the project about what it's all about! But you just told all of us, even though you're only casting Sasuke."

My father turned to the blond. "Well, this is where the other surprise comes in. See, the main character of this movie has a best friend who accompanies him through his battle to the top. And we also thought about who to cast as this friend, naturally, and we've decided to cast _you,_ Naruto, to play him!"

Naruto's jaw dropped open a little. He quickly gathered up himself and practially shouted, "YES! YES, I'LL TAKE IT! AHH THIS HAS BEEN MY DREAM! A CHANCE TO MAKE A NAME FOR MYSELF! STRAIGHT TO THE SILVER SCREEN, BABY! Thank you so much!" He stood up and shook hands with my delighted parents.

"No, Naruto, thank _you!_ You've the perfect energy for the role you're going to be filling. You're perfect for the part!" my mother laughed.

Naruto sat down. "So are you casting Ino and Sakura too, since they know about the movie?"

"Oh, no, sorry girls, but we've already promised the lead female part to a young woman who has been waiting to work for us for a while now. Consider yourselves an exception of the rule this one time," my father said. That was fine by me! I never wanted to become an actress anyway. One word: paparazzi.

"That's good with me. I'd make a lousy actress anyway. I would prefer a stage and sound team over a screen and camera crew any day," Ino said with a smile.

"So who did you cast for that female part you mentioned?" I asked curiously.

"Oh, her name's Karin. No last name; she's the one-name type. You'll get to know more about her soon when we start filming, which is in two weeks."

And with that my parents had a new idea solidified within the first day of their visit. Boy, these things happened fast. That night I lied alone in my bed, unable to sleep. I kept thinking about the name my father had given when I asked about the female part. _Karin._ What was this feeling I had whenever I thought about her name? I'd never met the woman, didn't even know what she looked like, and I already had an uneasy feeling about her. _Karin._

I shivered, turned to my side, and fell asleep.

* * *

><p><strong>Hey guys, I hope that was a good chapter!(: <strong>

**So...I need your help. I'm writing Karin into this fic, and I want to know something: do the majority of you guys like her or dislike her? And _how much_ do you like/dislike her? Your feedback will help determine the direction of this fic. Please leave your answer in a review, along with any other comments you'd like to make. Thanks!**


	5. Chapter 5: Work

**Chapter 5: Work**

_Naruto's POV_

We were walking along The Strip after having lunch at a new place called Ichiraku. We'd been meaning to try it out since it had opened a month ago, and had just gotten around to eating there. How we were able to wait that long will forever be unknown to me. Their specialty ramen was the best I had ever had and I knew I would become a frequent there.

The food wasn't the only part of the new restaurant that was great; the environment was a significant part of the experience. Ichiraku was one of those modern-traditional buildings where recent technology and architecture created old scenes in a new and improved way. Seating in the noodle house was along a pond that had been built into the floor of the building and stocked with koi fish. This pond was surrounded by tasteful landscaping: Japanese maple trees and bonsais lined the edges of the water that was oddly shaped, separating the main dining floor into multiple sections that were accessible by sturdy bridges, creating little pockets of seating areas that provided privacy to the diners. Lighting was provided by paper lanterns strung along the walls and ceiling and the place was large enough that you could have been thoroughly convinced you were still outside. It was an indoor Japanese garden right in the middle of the skyscrapers of Upper Konoha. No wonder it had taken a year to finally open!

After enjoying our meal, Sasuke, Sakura, Ino, and I were walking along the busy street, making our way to the film set where Sasuke and I would be working for the next few weeks. It was going to be our first day of working for Sakura's parents, and I was pretty damn excited.

"Hey, it looks like I'll finally get to be more than 'Ino Yamanaka's boyfriend' after this movie is out, eh?" I said to the platinum blonde who I had my arm around.

"Feeling like you've lost your superiority in the relationship, Naruto?" I could feel Ino's grin boring into the side of my face.

I returned her smile with a sheepish one of my own. "No, no! It's nothing like that, Ino. It's just that with the press and everything, all I'm known as is your boyfriend, and that's it. I just thought that maybe that would be a little embarrassing for you, since it seems like you're dating a nobody." I looked away as I said that last sentence, training my eyes on something other than her face to hide my own embarrassment.

"Naruto, why the hell would I be embarrassed of you? I'd have to by crazy. You're wonderful." Ino took my hand and kissed the back of it, ridding me of all my insecurities.

"Hey, Naruto, Ino! Look!" Sakura called from ahead, where she and Sasuke were standing looking at a store window display. Somehow every time we would stroll down the street, Sasuke and Sakura managed to walk ahead of Ino and me. Not that anyone minded, but it was one of those things that I happened to realize in that instant. That, and the fact that we were standing in front of the Vendi flagship store in Upper Konoha. "Guys, let's go in! Takumi texted me yesterday and said that the spring/summer line is selling now. That means our shoots are up!" Sakura led us into the store, where we were greeted by a saleslady.

"Hello, welcome to Vendi." The lady said with a pleasant smile. She had her hair back in a tight bun and was wearing a structured black dress with heels, your typical Vendi employee. We stood there, looking around at the discreet banners that displayed the fall/winter collection. Weren't these supposed to be updated with photos of us? I glanced questioningly at the saleslady, who was giving us nervous looks. She must have been feeling brave because she spoke. "Hey… Aren't you guys the models from the summer line?"

Sakura looked at her with a frown. "Yeah, we are. And I was told that our shoot would be displayed starting today? But all I see is the winter stuff."

The saleslady didn't miss a beat. "Oh yes, well, you're absolutely right, it should all be up by now, but the shipment of most of the evening gowns are late so we can't start putting things out on the floor until we've received the whole stock. It would be misleading to start advertising if we don't have everything, you see."

"Oh, okay." Sakura sighed and visibly slumped. "Well, let's-"

"But if you'd like, I can take you downstairs to see the posters." The woman suggested.

Sakura lit up. "Wow, really? That'd be terrific, thanks!"

The sales face was replaced by a slightly flustered one. "No worries… Um, do you think I could get your signatures on an extra banner afterwards? I've got this empty frame in my apartment, you see… and… it would be awesome if I could just…"

Ino put her out of her misery with a smile. "Yes, of course it wouldn't be a problem! Lead the way."

We followed the saleslady to one end of the store where an elevator resided. When we stepped out of the doors we were greeted by a room that was less attractive than the one upstairs. Instead of black marble floors and pristine white and glass shelves and display tables that accentuated the color of the clothes on sale, the basement room was purely a stock room. Boxes and metal racks of designer clothes were scattered around everywhere, as if they were unpacked from a truck rather unceremoniously. In this light, the designer clothing looked like nothing more than pieces of colorful fabric not worth more than a penny, although the price tags probably listed figures no ordinary person could afford to spend.

We approached a box full of rods with rolled-up posters wrapped around them. Over in this area there were clips hanging from transparent cords connected to the ceiling. Sakura requested to see the banner of Ino and me first.

"We hang up the posters we receive here first before we unroll them upstairs to check for defects and anything else that might be wrong." The saleslady explained as she clipped the first poster to the cords and pulled on them then releasing her grip, sending the poster flying up into the air effectively unrolling it from the rod.

In front of us was a photo of two beautiful people. A blond man had his arms around a blonde woman, his nose grazing her neck as if breathing in her scent. Their skin was radiant and glowing, no pores or blemishes could be seen on their angelic skin. The woman's smile was sassy yet sweet and the man seemed under the spell of her charm. Then I recognized the man and woman in the photo. _That's Ino… and me._ I thought. My jaw went a little slack at the sight of it.

"Wow…" Ino breathed out beside me.

I tightened my arm around her shoulders. "You look amazing, Ino." I said, kissing her head quickly then returning to my admiration of Takumi's photography. He and his camera seemed to capture Ino perfectly. Her hair was shiny and beautiful, waving gently in the sea breeze and her strikingly blue eyes looked bright and inviting. How was this girl mine?

"And here's the next one." The saleslady attached the next poster to another set of clips and it shot into the air as the last one did. I heard Sakura's sharp intake of breath.

Sakura and Sasuke popped up next to Ino and me, and their shot was good, if not better than ours. Their shot was all about the sexual appeal, since they were advertising bathing suits. Takumi had decided on the shot of Sasuke and Sakura in the ocean, where Sakura was pressed up against the dark-haired man with her hand on his chest and head tilted up to look at his face, which was aimed at the camera with a smirk.

"You guys are amazing models." The saleslady complimented us, folding her hands in front of her and giving us her best smile.

A few minutes later and we'd recovered from the sight of our edited bodies and had given our autographs to the saleslady as thanks for showing us the posters before they were displayed.

Sasuke checked his watch. "It's time to go. Your parents are waiting, Sakura."

"Oh alright, though I wouldn't mind keeping them waiting for a while." Sakura rolled her eyes playfully and we walked out of Vendi.

* * *

><p>We were greeted by a whirlwind of activity at the studio. There were people everywhere, preparing for the first day of filming. Cords for the lights and the cameras were being set up and microphones were dangling from long rods held up by strong-looking men. The four of us stood in the large doorway, not knowing where we fit into all of this. From somewhere in the room, Sakura's parents spotted us and headed over.<p>

"Welcome to the set!" Mrs. Haruno shook our hands and gave the girls small hugs. Mr. Haruno just smiled and nodded. "Let's get a look around, shall we?"

"The set is so huge! I didn't realize it took this much to film a movie." Ino said as we were led through the crowd of crew preparing for filming. I had to duck my head under a few dangling cords and camera support beams to get through.

"Well, dear, isn't it all the same when filming a music video?" Mrs. Haruno stopped and turned to face us.

"Filming a music video isn't nearly as large a production as this. This is probably about ten times larger."

Mrs. Haruno smiled. "Well then, perhaps we should get into filming music videos! You'd be our first star, of course." Sakura frowned at that, looking rather unhappy.

"Actually, mom, Ino's music videos are shot by her parents, as with all of the singers they've signed." She said.

Her mother waved a hand dismissively. "I was only making conversation. Anyway, this is the set we've built for the first scene we'll be shooting today, Sasuke, this will be a scene for somewhere in the middle of the film."

"You mean you don't film everything in order?" I asked.

"Of course we don't, boy. We start with the easy scenes to get our actors used to their roles then we decide what to film next based availability of crew, set, and actors. It would be very inefficient if we had to film everything in order." Mr. Haruno answered me.

"Oh, that's smart."

"Yes, so if we could get you and Mr. Uchiha to please come this way, we've got some things to discuss before Sasuke shoots his first scene." Sakura's father said to us, motioning us to follow him over to a table that had papers – scripts – scattered across it.

"We'll come too." Sakura declared and followed us over to the table with her father.

Mr. Haruno picked up a script packet and waved it in the air in front of us. "So as I've already said, we have a young woman who has been casted alongside you two, and I'd like to make clear that her role in this movie is just as important as yours. So if there are any problems in the script that you would feel uncomfortable with, please let me know and we can change it. But remember that we can only change so much, as we wouldn't want to disrupt the flow of the story." We nodded. "Alright, now I'd like you to meet Karin, your co-star."

As if on cue, a woman who looked to be about 23 walked over from the dressing area. She had long red hair and wore glasses that gave her a sassy demeanor. She walked with a wiggle to her hips and stood in front of us with a hip cocked out. "Hi, I'm Karin. It's sooo nice to finally meet you, Sasuke!" Karin said, smirking and holding her hand out to the Uchiha. _She looks like a handful_ I mentally sighed. _And one of the Sasuke fangirl types. Well, shit. _

Sasuke shook her hand quickly and practically yanked his hand back when she didn't let go of his fingers. "It's a pleasure." He said. I could tell he sensed Karin's nature too, since he draped an arm over Sakura's shoulders right then. The redhead's eyebrow twitched at that and she turned to Sakura expectantly.

"Hi, I'm Sakura. My parents have told me about you, you're a great actress." She said, polite as always.

"Ah, so you're Mr. and Mrs. Haruno's daughter! I've heard about you too." Karin crossed her arms. "And you are?"

_Oh, for God's sake, don't pretend you don't recognize Ino Yamanaka. Her face is on a billboard just outside the studio! _I thought. God could this woman annoy me any more? The vibe I was getting from her was nasty, and I could tell she was up to no good.

"I'm Ino Yamanaka." Ino said.

"Oh! Ino, yes, yes, I know who you are now! Man, I can't believe I'm meeting Ino Yamanaka! You're terrific and I love your music. Especially that one song, _Afflicted By You_." Karin said so enthusiastically it seemed mocking. Ino scooted closer into my side for comfort. I gripped her shoulder reassuringly.

"Actually, it was _Addicted To You_, and Ino didn't even write that song. That was Skyscraper." **[a/n: That's a completely random band I made up; I don't even know if there's a group out there called Skyscraper, but for the sake of this conversation, I've written it in. So pretend ;)]. **I said, annoyance bleeding into my voice. Karin turned to me, expression as if she just noticed I was there.

"And you are?"

"Naruto Uzumaki."

"Oh, my other co-star. So great to meet you." Karin sounded the opposite of what she said. "Anyway, Mrs. Haruno, I'd be my pleasure to show Sasuke around the rest of the set if you'd like. So that you can return to your work, of course." I wanted to slap that playful smirk off her face.

Sakura's parents were totally ignorant. "Oh, Karin, you are a dear. If you could, that would be wonderful. Drop them off at the makeup station when you are finished, alright? We'll start filming in half an hour." And with that, the parents had left our company to go arrange some things.

"Awesome. Please, come this way." Karin seemed to have been speaking to only Sasuke. I looked over at Sakura and could tell her smile was forced. It was hard for her to stay positive when Karin was so obviously going for her boyfriend. _They seriously had to hire _her?

* * *

><p><em>Sakura's POV<em>

The next day Ino and I were out for lunch together at a little café while the guys were on set again. According to my parents, Sasuke and Naruto were the best first-timers they'd ever worked with. They'd called Sasuke pliant, one of their odd terms meaning that he molded into the role perfectly. They'd also said that Naruto's energy livened up the set and made filming so much more fun. That didn't surprise me, since Naruto's enthusiasm spread to everyone within a ten mile radius of him.

I've rarely ever seen him act rude before, so it had surprised me when he spoke coldly to his new co-star, that woman Karin. I knew that the weird feelings I was having about her before I even met her meant something. She was pretty infatuated with Sasuke, and I couldn't blame her. He _was_ adorable and wonderful and everything that made the world perfect.

But couldn't she take a hint? I recalled the moment when we had first met her. After shaking her hand Sasuke put his arm around me. Any girl could tell that meant that he was off-limits, but I guess Karin just didn't respect those boundaries. I could have accepted that, if she wasn't so utterly persistent and kept flirting with Sasuke. Although he kept brushing her off and obviously making it known that him and I were together, she still wouldn't back off!

"Why so quiet?" Ino asked from across the small table, warming her hands on her coffee mug.

I shifted in my seat. "Oh, I'm just thinking about yesterday."

Ino rolled her eyes. "Oh don't remind me. That Karin chick needs a nice slap across the face."

Although I enjoyed her words, I frowned at her. "Hey, don't be so violent, now. She doesn't deserve anything like that, she just needs to know when to back off."

"Sakura, I don't know how you can be as calm as you are right now. She was all over Sasuke and I know you know that. If I were you, I'd be at the set right now, claiming my territory!"

I grimaced. It was true; I should be there right now. Not only showing Karin that Sasuke was mine, but also to support them in their work. "I just can't stand to see her another time."

"But what if she tries to make moves on your man?"

"Let's face it, she positively _is_ making moves on Sasuke," I sighed. "But I trust him. And I trust Naruto too."

"Yeah, Naruto didn't seem to like Karin much. Although why anyone would completely baffles me. She's a downright monster! Again Sakura, how you kept your composure amazes me. I would have tackled her right then and there!"

Ino's words were true. I just couldn't bring myself to be anything worse than polite around Karin, even though she obviously despised me for being an obstacle on her way to Sasuke. Yesterday I had thought that if I had ignored and denied that she was trying to get Sasuke, that it would just go away. But things never work out that way. I put my head in my hands and Ino reached over to pat my shoulder.

"Hey, girl, don't worry. What I meant was that you're taking this really well, okay? Think about it, once the filming is all over in a month or two, none of us have any reason to have to see that chick ever again. It'll all be over and we can get on to better things, alright?"

I mumbled an okay and sat back up. "You know, at first I thought she was one of those people who are all over Sasuke when they first see him, you know how it usually is, and that she'd stop once she realized we were together, but then she kept on going and now I'm worried that she's going to try something."

"What do you mean?"

"I think… I think she wants Sasuke. Like, _really_ wants Sasuke. All to herself. Bad enough that she'd do something… bad. Just to get him."

"Oh Sakura, come on. Have a little faith in your man! Sasuke would never leave you for that hag. I'm pretty sure he dislikes her too, I mean come on, no one can like her. She's a wannabe. Sakura, are you listening? Nothing's going to happen. This is just like high school. Once the guys don't have to work with her anymore, she'll be all out of our hair!"

I nodded, somewhat unconvinced.

* * *

><p><em>Naruto's POV<em>

Oh man, why did the girls have to go out for lunch? Karin was being unbelievably annoying, ignoring the fact that Sasuke was absolutely _not_ interested. She was so obviously on his nerves and he was struggling to keep his composure. He stood next to me, and her next to him, as we were receiving our stage directions from Mr. Haruno, who was perched in his director's chair.

"And you're going to walk over here, Naruto, and say your line, then Karin will come up and say hers. We want a good scene here guys, we've only got twenty minutes to shoot this scene. Let's make it quick so we can call it a day!"

I heard Karin whisper to Sasuke, "Oh, Sasuke, I can't _wait_ until we can film the kiss scene. It'll be _great_." She tried to sound seductive.

"Get off of me." Sasuke ordered, making me smirk to ourselves. Oh yeah, did I mention that Karin was cast as Sasuke's love interest? Things just kept getting better and better. We took our positions on the set and waited for the cue.

"Aaaand, action!"

I walked towards Sasuke, who was in character. "Kenji, it seems that the higher-ups aren't interested in what we've proposed for our next step. We need to—"

"Kenji! There you are, I've been looking all over for you!" Karin quickly walked over with a stern look on her face. "The CEO has requested a meeting with you. They need you to outline the baseline plans for the proposal you're making."

I had to give it to her, Karin was a great actress. Once the cameras starting rolling, she got rid of her annoying squeal of a voice and traded in her horrendous strut for a calm, level gait that fit her character. Even the way she looked at Sasuke was different. Karin was able to transform into her role, but sadly she lost it whenever one of Sakura's parents called 'Cut!'.

Most of the days on set were like that. Karin hanging over Sasuke, Ino and Sakura out shopping or hanging out, me dealing with the redhead's annoying voice and attitude. Saying I was getting tired of it was an understatement. And Sakura's parents were completely oblivious to that fact that their actress was all over their daughter's boyfriend. Heck, they probably didn't even know that Sasuke was with Sakura! They were just that ignorant, and it was getting on my nerves. They'd never seemed to care much for Sakura's feelings. They assumed she was a shallow, rich girl who could be conquered by money. But she wasn't about the money at all. Sakura had feelings and a soul.

Sakura's being was so innocent and pure, it seemed like everyone around her just wanted to protect her. So it was natural for me to dislike Karin even more because she was hurting Sakura. I had problems with this girl, and I didn't want to have to deal with them, but nobody ever completely gets their way.


	6. Chapter 6: Unwelcome

**For the SasuSaku fans. Caution: sexual content in this chapter! Don't say I didn't warn you. **

**Chapter 6: Unwelcome**

_Sasuke's POV_

The following days were all the same. In the morning I would scarf down a bagel or two and head over to the movie studio where I would be sat down and made up. My hair would be gelled and sprayed then my face would be powdered and buffed. Clothes were waiting dutifully for me to put them on, and once I did, I reviewed my lines and went out to the set. We'd film for hours then Naruto and I would catch up with the girls for dinner. And it would start all over again.

The days seemed so uncomplicated when you subtracted Karin from them. With her, the day became hectic. If you added her into the equation, then I walked into the studio and she would hound me with her unwelcome flirting and her too-strong perfume would suffocate me. I'd push her off and somehow get the door shut with us on opposite sides so I could change and get my hair and makeup done. I used to go outside of the dressing room to review the script, but after days of Karin breathing down my neck whispering into my ear I decided to review them in the safety and privacy of my personal dressing room, letting no one in with the exception of crew members and Naruto. Then, before the camera would roll, Karin would hang off of my arm. The only break I got from the woman was when the camera was rolling, and even then I had to address her, although in character, which made things a little better. After the clips were filmed and we were done for the day, Karin would insist on escorting me to my dressing room and try to get herself in with me. Every single time I had to push her away. Once everyone was changed and ready to leave the set, Karin would try to invite herself to our dinner. Naruto and I would team up against her and tell her she wasn't welcome.

Earlier that day Naruto had told me something that disturbed me. "Teme, you know why Sakura and Ino don't come on set with us, right?"

Actually, I hadn't given it much thought. I had always assumed that they would be bored and would rather shop or eat or something instead. I just looked at him.

"Well, Ino told me that Sakura told her that she can't stand seeing Karin fall all over you. She can't take it so she distances herself from it. Did you know that, Sasuke?"

"No. But Sakura knows that I would never give into Karin." I scowled at the thought of the redhead.

"Ino doesn't think that Sakura truly believes that. Sakura's feeling insecure. I didn't need Ino to tell me that. I can see it in her face—she looks like she's scared to lose you." Naruto had looked at me expectantly then.

"How could she worry about that? She knows that I… I…"

Naruto raised his eyebrow and a corner of his mouth tilted up. "You?"

"I… I love her." I said. It was the first time I had said the words to anyone other than Sakura herself.

Naruto lit up. "Then let her know that! Teme, you don't let a girl feel that way, especially if you love her and if you know that she loves you too. Sakura doesn't deserve to feel unsure about whether or not she's got you, so make sure you let her know that you'll always be there, as long as that _is_ what you plan to do." He slapped my back playfully. "I'm sure you know what to do. Now get out of my house and do something for Sakura!"

And so I ended up walking along the street in the general direction of Haruno Tower, thinking.

Did Sakura really feel that way? Was she unsure about whether or not I cared about her? Because I knew with all of me that I absolutely did. She helped me get through my family's deaths and get my life back together. Sakura was always there for me, comforting, warm, and caring. And that's why I fell in love with her. In my mind's eye, Sakura represented purity, innocence, and love. _Love._ I loved her. And she doubted that. Because of Karin. That redheaded woman was the epitome of annoyances, and there was absolutely no way I was going to let her get in the way of my relationship with Sakura

But then… Why did Sakura doubt my feelings? It's not like I ever responded to Karin's coming-ons. When we first met her I had put my arm around Sakura, making sure to convey the fact that I was with Sakura, and wasn't interested in anyone else. I was sure Karin understood but just didn't care, but how come Sakura didn't get it? I had a feeling I had to do something. Something special to show her that I really, truly did love her and that she was the only one for me.

I stopped into a flower shop and bought the largest bouquet that I could hold as I continued my walk to Sakura's home. I pulled out my cell phone with my free hand and dialed Ino's number.

"Hello?" Ino laughed when she answered the phone. There was another person laughing in the background.

"Ino, it's—" The background laughter got louder.

"Sakura, shut up!" Ino giggled. "I can't hear! Sorry about that, who is this?"

"Sasuke." I finished my sentence. "Is Sakura with you?"

"Yeah, we're at dinner. Do you want to talk to her?"

"No, I just wanted to know where she was. Tell her to meet me at my place at 9 tonight."

"Oooh, okay, definitely will do!" Ino giggled. "Oh, Sakuraaaa!" Then she hung up. I smiled to myself. Those two were hilarious together. I changed my direction and started to head home, anxious.

* * *

><p><em>Sakura's POV<em>

As I was waiting for the elevator in Sasuke's building to come down and pick me up, I wondered why he had wanted me to meet him at his home. The elevator dinged and I stepped through the sliding doors, swiping my card. The glass closed and I was brought up to Sasuke's loft. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath and smelled a faint scent of roses. I opened my eyes and pressed the STOP button in the elevator, hanging between levels. This elevator only stopped between Sasuke's floor and the lobby, and the lobby didn't smell like flowers, so the only source of the smell had to be from Sasuke's loft.

_Did Sasuke buy flowers?_

I put two and two together in my head and realized what was going on. Sasuke asking me to meet him at his house after dinner plus the smell of flowers… Oh my god! A slight blush crept into my face and I looked at my reflection in the glass of the elevator.

Fixing my hair so the waves I had put it in this morning were behaving, I glanced down at my outfit. I was wearing a flowy skirt that reached a little higher than mid-thigh (it was an unusually warm day in the city) with a thick-banded belt at the waist of the skirt and a simple white tee tucked into it. I wished I had dressed a little nicer today, but I had no idea Sasuke was going to pull something like this. At least I had put on one of my best sets of underwear.

I stunned myself. I knew he didn't care what I wore. I could wear a paper bag and he could still make me feel like I was the most beautiful woman in the world. Since when did I worry about what I looked like in Sasuke's eyes? _Oh, _I thought, _right. When Karin came along. _That woman was making me feel like I was worthless. It made my doubt my ability to make Sasuke happy. I knew it was vain, but next to her, I felt lousy and undesirable. I envied her red hair, how it was thick and seemed perfectly styled. She even worked her glasses! And she was considerably taller than me. She was one inch shy of Sasuke's 6 feet, whereas I was four inches away.

I sighed, conceding to the fact that there was no way I could change my appearance and decided to have some faith in myself. I took a few more deep breaths and allowed the elevator to continue the ascent to Sasuke's loft.

I stepped out of the elevator and looked around. The lights were dimmed and the smell of roses was more prominent. I took my jacket off quietly and slipped out of my heels. I draped the piece of clothing over the back of his couch and placed the shoes on the ground.

I walked towards the hallway and immediately noticed a huge bouquet of flowers sitting in a vase on a side table by the hallway entrance. There was a card tucked into a lily addressed to me. Smiling, I opened it.

_What's behind door number 3? _It read. I laughed out loud, knowing that Sasuke's bedroom was the third door down the hall. I replaced the card, leaned over and sniffed a rose, then took my time making my way down the hall. I didn't notice that I was walking on a trail of rose petals. _Oh gosh, this is so romantic!_ I thought to myself, mentally squealing.

Sasuke's door was closed and I took hold of the doorknob, twisted, then pushed the door open with a smile on my face. I had a sudden sense of déjà vu, which returned me to that party two years ago at Naruto's home. Sasuke was waiting for me in a bedroom then, and he is again now. I bit my lip, walking into the room.

The lights were off; the brightness of the city and the moon illuminated the room. I stood in the doorway, just looking out into the night through that huge window. I heard soft footsteps make their way towards me and felt strong arms wrap around my waist. I instinctively place both my hands on his hard chest.

"Hello." Sasuke's deep and inviting voice made me melt.

"Hi." I whispered, breathless. I couldn't very well see him in this dim light, and I actually didn't mind that one bit. I got to enjoy him with all my other senses this way. I closed my eyes as I ran my hands slowly up his chest, around his shoulders to clasp around his neck. I ran my hands through the hair at the back of his neck, slowly bringing our heads together.

I kissed him softly, a light brush of lips. I'd decided that I wanted to take this slow, to get a chance to fully enjoy it. Sasuke's arms tightened around my waist, bringing us impossibly closer. I was now completely pressed up against his chest. The heat from his body was seeping into mine, and I sighed in contentment. I loved moments like this with Sasuke, where it was just the two of us alone and intimate. Somehow, even after two years, he was still able to make me this happy. I didn't ever want to lose this.

Sasuke ran the tip of his tongue along my bottom lip and I sighed into the kiss, opening my mouth. Our tongues intertwined and he made a moaning sound in the back of his throat. Oh, how he was a great kisser! We kissed for a long while, then feeling like it was time to move on, I ended the kiss and backed away from him, further into his room. I beckoned him closer to me, standing in front of the window so that he could see the gesture by the light of the moon.

He groaned and came closer after shutting his door. I undid my waist belt and dropped it to the floor, slipping easily out of my skirt. He looked at my legs with lust and desire written all over his face. I reached for the hem of his shirt next, teasingly running my fingers over his abs and chest before finally lifting the fabric up and over his head and tossing it away from us. I pushed him backwards until we were bathed in darkness again, wanting us to use every other sense but sight tonight.

My fingers explored the muscles of his familiar back as he kissed my neck, making my breathing heavy. Needing connection, I moved my head so that our lips touched. I kissed him eagerly, backing him up against the wall. My hands weaved out of his silky hair and I ran my thumbs lightly over his eyes, memorizing their shape. I pulled out of the kiss to run my fingers over his nose, lips, and cheeks. He had a beautiful face. It was perfectly structured, no blemishes, and all-around perfect. I stopped feeling his face and laughed a little.

"What?" He questioned.

"Nothing. I don't know. You're flawless." My desire prevented me from forming coherent sentences. In answer, Sasuke removed his hands from around my waist and cupped my chin. His fingers brushed over my cheekbones, along the bridge of my nose, then across my eyelids. When he was done, he held my hands at my side, bent his head down, and whispered in my ear.

"No Sakura, _you're_ flawless. I love you."

I kissed his bare shoulder. "I love you too." Still holding on to my hands, he backed up, pulling me with him. He sat down on the bed and I straddled his thighs, pushing him back gently. When he was laying down, I adjusted myself so I was now sitting across his lower stomach and bent over to kiss him. His hands went under my shirt and touched my spine, making me shiver. Hastily, Sasuke raised the hem of my tee and got it over my head, throwing it to the ground. I was now in only my underwear and he was still in his jeans.

"Now, that's not fair." I mumbled, rolling onto my back and grabbing his shoulders, pulling him on top of me. He kept himself up with his elbows, as not to crush me, and I sent my hands down to the waistband of his jeans, undoing the belt and button and zipper then slowly wiggling them off his hips. I couldn't see his face in the dark, so I had to estimate where his lips were. I guessed right and we continued kissing heavily. Finally his pants came off and landed on the floor, where they belonged.

He moaned my name when I rubbed the bulge in his boxers. His hand cupped my breast through my bra and I arched my back up. Taking the cue, he used his other hand to undo my bra clasp, removing the lacy thing from my body and sending it somewhere else in the room.

I was very much aroused and I could feel that Sasuke was obviously hard. I practically ripped his boxers off his body and he slid my underwear down my legs. I let the lingerie fall off my ankles and onto the ground.

Expecting some magic to happen, I opened my eyes when it didn't. Although I could not see them, I could feel Sasuke's eyes on my face.

"What's wrong?" I whispered.

"Sakura, you know that I love you, don't you?" There was something in his voice that I couldn't place.

"Yes of course." I said, suprised. Why would he ask such a question? Before I could say anything else, he kissed me softly and began to send my body to heaven, erasing all previous thoughts from my mind.

* * *

><p>The next morning I woke up to the sunlight. Sensing that I was alone in the bed, I opened my eyes and looked out the window. Konoha stretched out as far as I could see and I smiled. My hometown was so beautiful. There was the central area and Upper Konoha, then along the suburbs there were beautiful homes up in the hills and trees and grass. You got a little of everything here.<p>

I stretched my arms above my head and looked around for Sasuke. The bathroom door was closed and I could hear the shower running. My arms dropped back down onto the covers. Noticing that the time was noon, I sat up and dangled my feet over the side of the bed. I went over to the dresser and pulled out the drawer that was reserved for my clothes, just for nights like last night. Pulling out a clean bra and panties then putting them on I heard the doorbell ring. _That's probably Naruto and Ino._ I thought. Strange, how come they didn't just use their cards and take the elevator straight up? I smiled. _Maybe they didn't want to interrupt anything._

I grabbed the first thing that I saw and threw it on over my underwear. It happened to be one of Sasuke's button downs, and I only had time to secure a button between my breasts before the doorbell rang again. _Man, impatient, aren't we?_ I thought sourly, opening the door.

"Naruto, you don't have to—" I stopped talking when I realized it wasn't Naruto who was standing in front of me.

"What are you doing here?" Karin and I asked each other at the same time. Well, I asked, and she spat the words at me.

"Why are you in Sasuke's house?" Karin asked. Was that a hint of jealousy I heard?

"Sasuke's my boyfriend. I have every right to be here. What are _you_ doing at his door?" I asked, placing a hand on my hip. She noticed the movement, then noticed what I was wearing. Her eyes flashed at the sight of me wearing only Sasuke's shirt over my underwear. For some reason I didn't feel embarassed that I was standing in front of her in just a bra, panties, and a shirt that wasn't even completely buttoned up. Perhaps it was because it gave another obvious hint of where I was in Sasuke's life as opposed to her.

After a pause during which Karin stuck her nose in the air then glared down at me through her designer glasses, she said, "I'm here to see if Sasuke wanted to rehearse our lines before filming today. I _also_ have a right to be here."

"I don't think he knew you were coming. It's rude to show up at people's doorsteps uninvited, especially if you're just a _coworker._" I said as cold as I could, placing emphasis on where she was in Sasuke's life.

"I'm sorry, but I'll have you know that Sasuke and I are great friends." She sneered down at me and I cursed her height.

"We all know you're a great actress, Karin, but you should really get out of character when you're away from the set. It's not good for your sanity." Sasuke said as he walked to the foyer. His hair was still wet from his shower and all he was wearing were a clean pair of jeans. "We all know that Kenji and Haruka are friendly, but _not_ you and me. Just because our characters are good friends in the film does not mean that you and I are in reality. Don't assume such foolish things."

"You're absolutely right, Sasuke. How about we review our lines together? That'll give us a chance to get to know each other better. Then i won't have to assume anymore." Karin's voice went all sickly sweet whenever she spoke to Sasuke. She peered over her glasses at him and bit her lip, probably thinking she was being sexy.

"Forget it. I'll see you at the studio, now please get out of my building." Sasuke's long strides got him to the door in a flash and he took the doorknob from my hands, shutting the door in the redhead's face before she could squeak out a protest.

I turned to him. "Wow, Sasuke, I didn't realize you could be so cold." I looked up at him and he sighed.

"I do what I have to." He replied. He enveloped me in an embrace and said, "I love it when you wear my clothes, by the way."

I laughed. "I would think you'd like it better when I don't wear any clothes."

He kissed my forehead. "You're right, I like that better."


	7. Chapter 7: Chance

**Just so you know, I started off this chapter with the end of the previous chapter but from Sasuke's POV. **

**Also, this chapter contains a section of story told from Karin's POV. Let's see some character redemption! **

**You might want to brace yourself for the upcoming drama! :) **

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 7: Chance<strong>

_Sasuke's POV _

I woke up slowly, each of my five senses registering in my brain one by one as I came to. The first thing I noticed was that Sakura's hair smelled like honey. My lungs automatically inflated, addicted to her scent. In her sleep she snuggled closer to me, which made me aware of the heat that came off her body and warmed my skin. That was Sakura; a ball of sunshine. She could brighten any moment with her positivity and hopefulness, and that was one of the reasons why I loved her so much. She contrasted against my calmer, more relaxed self. We balanced each other out.

Now that smell and touch were satisfied, it was my sense of hearing that awoke next. Upper Konoha was alive and well. The sounds that accompanied a bustling city street made its way into my loft. Taxis honked, car doors slammed, and the hum of talking people could be heard from the street below. I had never really stopped to listen to the sounds before; city dwellers like me grew accustomed to the noise. It was like I had just now really, truly heard how busy the town actually was.

My eyes opened to greet the sun. I squinted, laying in the same spot until my eyes grew used to the light and I could fully open them again. Looking down at the stop of Sakura's head, thoughts of last night's events came rushing into my head, making me smile. She had to be convinced that I loved her now. There couldn't be a single shred of doubt in my devotion left in her head after last night.

There was only one sense left to emerge. I gently slipped my arm from under her neck, placing her head softly on the pillow, taking care not to wake her up. I removed my arm from around her waist and sat up, still looking at her angelic face. I leaned over and kissed her on the lips very, very carefully. She tasted amazing as usual. _There_ I thought _I'm all awake now._ Who would have known that waking up would be so complicated?

I showered and dressed and came out of the bathroom, then threw on a pair of boxers and jeans. I glanced over to the bed, noticing that she sheets were empty and went out of the room looking for Sakura.

I heard her voice from the hallway. "…I don't think he knew you were coming. It's rude to show up at people's doorsteps uninvited, especially if you're just a _coworker."_ My mind pieced together the situation quickly. Sakura's voice was coming from the foyer, where my front door was. She had called the person an uninvited coworker, and I didn't have many coworkers at the moment; mainly just Naruto and Karin. And Sakura would never speak that coldly to Naruto, who had a habit of showing up uninvited. It was customary of him to barge in and for no one to mind. So that left only one…

Yep, I was right. "I'm sorry, but I'll have you know that Sasuke and I are great friends." Karin said. It was my turn to step in.

I rounded the corner to make myself visible to both ladies. "We all know you're a great actress, Karin, but you should really get out of character when you're away from the set. It's not good for your sanity. We all know that Kenji and Haruka are friendly, but _not_ you and me. Just because our characters are good friends in the film does not mean that you and I are in reality. Don't assume such foolish things." I said.

Karin, being taller than Sakura, looked over the pinkette's head to look at me. Her face went from pissed-off to trying-to-be-hot as she said, "You're absolutely right, Sasuke. How about we review our lines together? That'll give us a chance to get to know each other better. Then I won't have to assume anymore."

I'm sorry, but that was just pathetic. "Forget it. I'll see you at the studio, now please get out of my building." I walked over to Sakura and shut the door to silence any of Karin's guaranteed protests.

Sakura turned to me with a smirk. "Wow, Sasuke, I didn't realize you could be so cold."

"I do what I have to." I sighed. Then I noticed what she was wearing: a red bra with matching panties, not the same ones I took off her body last night, but a new set, and one of my shirts that was only buttoned between her perfectly-sized breasts. Not being able to help myself, I wrapped my arms around her and pressed her to me, whispering, "I love it when you wear my clothes, by the way."

She laughed into my chest. "I would think that you'd like it better when I don't wear any clothes." Sakura knew me so well. I kissed her forehead.

"You're right, I like that better."

* * *

><p>Earlier I hadn't thought twice about the venom I could hear in Sakura's words to Karin at my door. After thinking about it some more though, I had an itching feeling that I had to set things right; to establish boundaries for Karin. If she was upsetting Sakura with her persistence, then I needed to do something about it.<p>

I called my co-star. "Karin, we have to talk. Meet me in the park." The park was the safest, most neutral place to be. There would be plenty of people around at this time of day, which would keep Karin in check. Also, I hoped that the presence of nature would help keep me calm and patient while I delivered my points to the redhead. Especially if she started whining. I hated whining.

"Of course I'll be there, Sasuke!" I held the phone back from my ear a little to prevent my eardrum from tearing at her squeal. _Hopefully this will go smoothly._

* * *

><p><em>Karin's POV<em>

"Of course I'll be there, Sasuke!" I said in my happiest voice into my phone. I sighed and sat back after he hung up.

My eyes hurt and I had to remove my glasses to rub them. I'd been crying all night. Suigetsu and I had gotten into a fight—_again. _Why did I have to love that son of a bitch? All he did was hurt me. But was he really hurting me? How could he hurt me when I was bundled up in his arms, when he would whisper sweet nothings into my ear and make me feel all warm inside?

Oh right, he had cheated on me. Three times. And every single time he'd come back and claim he made a mistake, then I'd open my arms wide and let him come back. I was stupid, so stupid to fall for it. The only thing was that I _loved_ that man. He was the center of my life and held my fragile heart in his hands. But that didn't mean he cared about its safety or well being, especially when he was sleeping with other women behind my back. And it didn't even matter to him if I found out.

One morning I had come home after a week in another country for work purposes. I was happy to finally be back, and for some reason I had expected Suigetsu to be happy too. But that was wishing for the impossible. I had come home to an empty house that smelled of too much sex and alcohol and had found used condoms in the bottom of the toilet. I cried myself to sleep that night, too, and promptly threw all his stuff out the window the next morning. I had never felt so satisfied yet unsuprisingly empty.

He called every day after I forced him to leave. Suigetsu would tell me that he loved me and that he was sorry. And after a few weeks, he had somehow weaseled his way back into my heart, into my life, into my soul and I forgave him. Call me masochistic, but I couldn't survive without him.

It wasn't until his last affair that my heart had grown strong. I was able to kick him out without feeling like I was kicking a puppy, even when he looked at me with those eyes—the I'm-begging-you-to-let-me-stay eyes. I had turned my head and shut the door, ignoring the way my heart cracked and almost shattered. My own will kept it together, albeit by the seams.

Then the Haruno's had offered me a role, and there was no way in hell I was going to turn it down. My career got my mind off of the cheating scum that I loved so much, until I met Sasuke Uchiha. In him I saw my chance; a chance to finally give Suigetsu a taste of his own medicine. He was very handsome, and seemed awfully sweet in the way that he was devoted to that girl, Sakura, the Harunos' daughter. I couldn't help but wish Suigetsu would be more like Sasuke. I wanted my Suisui to hold me like that, to look at me with those eyes…

And suddenly the past came back to smack me in the face and I remembered that I could never be those things with Suigetsu, and that the only course of action now was to exact my revenge, the only way being to use Sasuke, tall and handsome, to prove to Suigetsu that two could play at this game.

It was a great thing I was such a great actress. I actually hated having to go after a taken man. And I actually kind of liked Sakura, too, despite her obviously despising me, or rather, who I pretended to be. I had to admire her loyalty to Sasuke and I couldn't help but feel a little jealous by her discreet beauty. Once you got past the unusual color of her hair, your eyes fell on her features, which included large green eyes, a perfectly shaped nose, and a nice pair of lips.

_I can't sympathize with this girl, I'm trying to take her boyfriend, for God's sake._ I scolded myself. Suddenly my phone chimed, bringing me back to reality. It was a text from Suigetsu.

"_Karin, baby, I have a funny story_, it read, _I woke up in a weird room this morning and almost freaked out. Maybe next time I'm preparing for a good fuck, I should observe my surroundings, yeah? Oh well, that's what happens when you're trying to get a bitch's clothes off too fast. –Sui. XOXO I know you're missing me, don't deny it. Guess what? I don't miss you, not one fucking bit." _

I wanted to hurl my phone across the room and swiftly follow up with a punch to the wall. Then I wanted to curl up and weep until I got a skull-splitting headache. Physical pain was always better than the pain Suigetsu brought me. The pain that was borderline with pleasure.

Somewhere in my brain, I remembered that I was supposed to be meeting Sasuke, and I forcibly calmed myself down so that I wouldn't be going to the park with bloody knuckles and swollen eyes. No, today was not a day for that.

The park would be about a five minute walk from my apartment, and I could use the fresh air. I slipped on a coat and headed out the door. Outside, I looked up at the sky and could sense the chill that was rolling in with night. Hopefully this meeting wouldn't last too long. Setting out, I kept all thoughts away from my horrible relationships and focused instead on work. Acting was an escape; when the cameras were rolling I got a chance to become someone else for a few hours.

Still deep in thought, I didn't notice that I had walked right past Sasuke sitting on a bench until he called out to me. "Hey, I'm over here."

My head snapped up and I did what I do best—acted. I removed my frown and replaced it with a trying-too-hard sexy smirk that I had reserved for _this_ Karin, the one who stole other people's boyfriends. "Oh, I didn't see you there, Sasuke." I took a seat next to him, getting closer than I really should have. "Why the impromptu meeting, huh? Did you miss me?" I batted my eyelashes at him. This role was actually quite fun to play, despite the intentions behind it.

He semi-glared at me, sending a clear non-verbal message to me to move away. I didn't budge, because that's not what Homewrecker Karin would have done. He spoke, "I want to set boundaries." Well, I shouldn't have been so surprised. Everything this guy had done so far, he's taken his girlfriend into consideration. Of course he was going to want to try to restrain me, he was only looking out for his, and more importantly Sakura's, wellbeing. I wondered again why Suigetsu couldn't be like this man in front of me.

"What kind of boundaries, Sasuke?" I asked in the sweet voice.

"Ones that stop you from trying to come on to me." He said without a waver in his eyes.

"Sasuke, you don't know what you're talking about. I'm not—"

"I'm serious Karin. You have to stop. It's not funny nor is it good for anyone. I'm never going to leave Sakura, so you can forget it." The determination in his voice made me drop the act for a second.

"You really love her, don't you?" I said in my normal voice, and Sasuke seemed surprised. _That's right_ I thought bitterly _He doesn't know that I'm faking all of this._ Suddenly it became very hard to keep up the act. "Well then, fine. I'll stop." To prove it, I scooted away from him to the other side of the bench, keeping my hands in my lap and my eyes trained on a tree further down the park path.

After a long and slightly uncomfortable silence, Sasuke spoke. "Thank you."

I didn't acknowledge. The sky was looking even more gloomy than when I had left my building and I pulled my coat tighter around my shoulders, slightly shivering. As the gentleman that Sasuke is, he took notice and sighed. "We should go. Did you walk here?" I nodded, staring at nothing in particular. "I'll drive you back. Come on."

"Sasuke, you don't have to. I'm perfectly capable of walking back to my apartment." I said, defeated.

I guess he was feeling extra chivalrous today, because he said, "Karin, you're not walking in this cold. Now come on." Not wanting to start a fight, I conceded and followed him to his car.

My phone vibrated in my pocket and I pulled it out, using my peripheral vision to make sure I was still following Sasuke out of the park. It was another text from Suigetsu. "_Karin, sweets, you won't believe how many women I'm going to lay tonight. Wish you were here to make it a five-some. But you're mad at me. Oh well, bye baby I'll text you tomorrow"._ Anger surged up in me and I controlled the impulse to slam my foot into the trunk of a nearby tree. _That asshole wasn't going to get off so easily. I won't give up._ As suddenly as I had lost it, my resolve and determination returned to me and a plan quickly formulated in my brain. I switched back to Fake Karin and climbed into Sasuke's car. I told him the directions to his house and noticed that he left his phone in the cup holder between the driver's and passenger's seats. _Perfect._ While he wasn't looking, I slipped the device into my coat pocket.

* * *

><p><em>Sakura's POV<em>

Ino and I were walking along the street by the park after going out for a little shopping.

"...And then Naruto said that he actually didn't want to go!" Ino laughed hysterically, finishing her joke. "Sakura, Sakura? Did you hear me Sakura?" I actually had heard what she said, but the words didn't register as I saw a familiar car whiz past. It was a black Mercedes CL65 AMG, Sasuke's favorite car. From the glimpse I got inside of the car, I could remember two people sitting in the front seats. A man with dark hair in the driver's seat… and a woman who had red hair sitting next to him. I knew those glasses. "Sakura, what's wrong?" Ino asked beside me, frowning.

"I think I just saw Sasuke and Karin drive past." The car was long gone now, having turned after the intersection a few blocks ahead.

"Sasuke… and _Karin?_ No way Sakura, that could never happen." Ino laughed, "I mean come on, no one would be able to survive in such a tight space with that woman. You probably didn't see right. It wasn't them."

"Yeah… okay. I probably did see wrong." I smiled at my friend, hoping that what we were saying was true.

* * *

><p><em>Karin's POV<em>

"It's this one on the left. Oh Sasuke, won't you come in for a little bit? It's so cold today. Maybe we can have some coffee?" I said as we pulled up to my building.

He stiffened, tightening his knuckles around the steering wheel. Without looking at me he said, "You said you were going to stop."

I sighed and opened the car door, putting my hand in my pocket and wrapping my fingers around his cell phone, making sure it was still there. It was. "I meant as friends, of course. Or even coworkers, if that's what you want. We could look over tomorrow's script and call it a business coffee." I suggested.

"Sorry, but I have some where to be."

I sighed and shut his car door, not wanting to push it. As soon as the door was closed, he sped down the street as if he wanted to get as far away from me in the least amount of time as possible. "Well, goodbye to you too." I mumbled to myself.

Once inside the warmth of my building, I took the elevator to my apartment and sat on my couch, turning Sasuke's phone over in my hands. _I'm going to have the last laugh, Suigetsu. You'd better believe it._

* * *

><p><strong><span>PLEASE REVIEW!<span> **

**I'd really, really appreciate it. (: I'd like to know what you guys think of the story so far! And of course, thank you for reading, it means a lot to me.**


	8. Chapter 8: Dreams

**The beginning of this chapter is the end of the last chapter onward, except told from Sasuke's POV instead of Karin's. Please enjoy and don't forget to send in a review!**

**Chapter 8: Dreams**

_Sasuke's POV_

"It's this one on the left. Oh Sasuke, won't you come in for a little bit? It's so cold today. Maybe we can have some coffee?" Karin turned to me in her seat and begged, overdoing it on the puppy-dog-eyes after I had pulled over in front of her apartment building.

I gripped the steering wheel harder, upset that she would start to go against her word so quickly. Maybe this talk had been for nothing and I had wasted a part of my evening. "You said you were going to stop." I reminded her.

She seemed to give up at the tone of my voice, and opened the car door, much to my contentment. Stepping out, she said, "I meant as friends of course. Or even coworkers, if that's what you want. We could look over tomorrow's script and call it a business coffee." The way she spoke made me doubt she would keep it as a business meeting.

"Sorry, but I have somewhere to be." I lied.

She sighed again and I was glad she didn't keep trying. Perhaps she was _finally_ getting it. Once she had stepped onto the sidewalk and closed the door, I assaulted the gas pedal and my car sped forward, not looking back. _I guess I'll head over to Naruto's then. Maybe the girls will be there._ Not wanting to be a hypocrite, I felt around in the cup holder for my phone so that I could call Naruto and tell him that I was coming over. Sakura and I had been scolding him for years that he'd never announced his visits and therefore on more than one occasion had he walked in on us at a time when privacy was greatly appreciated. I glanced down from the road and frowned when I couldn't feel my phone. I had distinctly remembered placing my phone in the cup holder before heading to the park to meet with Karin, and now it was gone. Shrugging to myself, I decided that I would deal with it later and that I had only misplaced it.

Sakura and Ino weren't there, as I found out for myself. I sat around with my best friend at his home for another couple hours until I decided to go home.

* * *

><p><em>Sakura's POV<em>

"Hey, Ino, I think I'm going to call Sasuke." I bit my lip as she raised her eyebrow.

"Still bothered by that?" Ino asked.

"Yeah. I mean, why would he be in a car with _Karin?_ It's just weird. I just want to call him that's all. I'm curious." I shrugged, trying to downplay it. In reality, I was nervous. What was I going to do if Sasuke said he was, in fact, with Karin earlier this evening? Would he get angry with me for being overprotective or paranoid? I knew that he had his life and I had mine, and I didn't want to come across as controlling, but it was really bugging me. Before Ino or I could talk myself out of it, I dialed Sasuke's cell.

Ino shook her head while the ringing tone sounded in my ear.

"Hello?" At this point I was extremely glad that we had chosen to eat at Ichiraku tonight. The sectioned off dining areas provided privacy, and by booking in advance Ino and I had scored the most private table in the place: a two-seat table that was surrounded by trees. We had gotten this table to protect us from any wandering cameras that wanted to train their lens on us – this was _Ino Yamanaka, _after all,one of the biggest pop stars of the year – but it seemed that it would provide us with another service: hiding my horror at hearing the sound of Karin's voice on Sasuke's phone.

I just had to make sure before I did anything rash. "Karin?" Across from me, Ino froze, water glass at her lips.

"Yes, hon, this is Karin." I wanted to slap her for using a pet name with me.

"Why do you have Sasuke's phone?"I asked slowly. Ino practically dropped her water glass and choked on a bit of ice. She looked at me wide-eyed and motioned frantically for me to explain what was going on. In response, I held up one finger and signaled for her to wait while I listened to Karin's explanation.

"He left it on my couch when he came over earlier today. I've been meaning to return it, but we'll see each other again at the studio tomorrow anyway, so I just thought that I'd return it to him then." Her sickly sweet voice answered.

"Sasuke was at your house?" I said in disbelief. Ino leaned over the table to try to get a better listen. I held the phone between us, but didn't put it on speaker in case anyone around us could hear. I held my pointer finger over my lips to make sure Ino would stay quiet.

Karin said, "Yes, of course. Didn't you know?"

No...

...

I didn't say anything.

Ino place her palm over the microphone of my cell, then urgently whispered, "Ask her what he was doing there!" She removed her hand from the phone and I spoke.

"What was he doing there?" I asked. My voice was slightly shaking and I had no idea why.

"Why don't you ask him, since he's _oh-so-honest_, huh?" Karin sneered. Ino made a display of violently shaking her middle finger at the screen of my cell, as if the motion could be seen over the phone. Thank God phone calls didn't work that way. I hung up on her.

"What. The. F*ck." Ino sat back in her seat and crossed her arms over her chest. "Was that about? Sasuke over at Karin's?" I merely shook my head.

I sat back as well, trying to sort out what I was feeling. There was the normal annoyance at Karin because, well, she was Karin. I sensed some confusion and worry as to why Sasuke would be over at Karin's in the first place. Then there was the uncertainty of our future. Was Sasuke seeing Karin behind my back? That would be horrible. _No, _I told myself, _Hear Sasuke out first. You'll know if he's cheating on you once you talk to him. _

It was times like these where my heart didn't beat right. The times when I would start to doubt our relationship. After all, it was too good to be true that Sasuke would ever see anything in me. I always thought I was the best-friend type, the one who no one ever thought of dating. But then Sasuke had seen something in me, and had given me a chance. Maybe I was just overthinking things, because we _had_ lasted this long, after all. But there was always that part in my brain that asked "_When will Sasuke realize that he could do better?"_ And I had no choice but to listen to it. In a way I believed it too. There was nothing special about me, I had an irrational fear of the paparazzi that put a handicap on all of us. When we wanted to go out somewhere, especially with Ino, we'd have to make arrangements ahead of time to make sure there was some sort of security against the cameramen. I was a hindrance, and a bore. Why would someone amazing like Sasuke ever want to be with me?

Then Karin was introduced into our lives and that just boosted my uncertainty by about 200%. This woman was making herself readily available for Sasuke, an easy way out of the relationship. And I was afraid Sasuke was going to take the bait. In fact, if Karin had actually been telling the truth, then he had already taken the bait. The fact that Karin had his phone with her at her _home_ was proof. There was only one way left for me to determine if Sasuke was losing his interest, and that was to speak with Sasuke himself.

Ino leaned over the table and looked over at me, concerned. We made eye contact and she must have read something in my grassy greens that told her something was up. She quickly pulled out her wallet, slapped a $100 bill on the table, and took my hand. "Come on, I'm taking you back to my place. You don't look well."

* * *

><p>"Sakura, hey!" Naruto greeted as Ino and I walked into their condo. He was sitting alone at the kitchen island counter, sipping a soda while reading a car magazine. "How are you?"<p>

"I'm fine." I said, trying to sound convincing.

Naruto wasn't going to have any of it. "Yeah right, Sakura, you don't look or sound fine. What's going on?" He turned his whole body to face me with a frown on his face. He took another sip of soda. He was serious.

Ino patted me on the shoulder, smiled reassuringly, then walked down the hall to put her jacket away in their bedroom. I stood there awkwardly a little longer, not knowing if I wanted to tell Naruto or not. He mistook my hesitation and moved aside, ushering me to sit at one of the raised chairs at the counter. "Oh, sorry, go ahead and sit. Do you want a soda or something?"

"No thanks." I had to smile slightly; Naruto being hospitable was funny, especially since he wasn't used to it. I took a seat and he stood next to me, leaning his hip against the counter, looking me right in the eyes.

I didn't meet his concerned stare as I spoke. "I think—"

I was interrupted by the door opening. "Yo, dobe, I think I left my jacket in the kitchen." Sasuke's voice rang from the foyer. I froze. Naruto, oblivious, smiled in Sasuke's general direction and called him over. I took a deep breath and swiveled the barstool around so that I could face Sasuke walking over to us. His face slightly lit up as he said, "Sakura, you're here."

I gave him a weak smile, one that I kept plastered to my face as he kissed my cheek and grabbed his black jacket from the back of the barstool next to mine. _Where was Ino? I need Ino. _

Before I could stop myself, my hands shot out and wrapped gently around his wrists, gaining his attention. "I need to ask you something." I said quietly.

"Shoot." Sasuke said, a very open and curious look on his face.

"Why…" well, there was no stopping now, "Why were you at Karin's earlier today?" I bit my tongue while I waited for his answer.

"Karin's?" He said, eyebrows furrowing. "I wasn't at Karin's. Well, I dropped her off at her place from a meeting we had, but that was it. I drove away straight after."

"You didn't go inside?"

"No." My heart broke. He had done it; he'd lied to me. He lied to me about being at Karin's, and the only reason why he would have to lie about being there was if…

Tears welled in my eyes and my vision of Sasuke's face became distorted by the droplets that were threatening to spill. Panicking, Sasuke asked, "Sakura, what's wrong?"

I smiled weakly through my shaky breathing that accompanied crying. "You lied." I said simply.

"What are you talking about?" Sasuke sounded a little offended and brought his hands up to my shoulders, trying to get me to look at him.

I calmed myself a little bit, and got my tears to stop flowing. I could feel that my cheeks were wet and could feel my eyes start to puff up. "We all get that you're an actor now, but you can quit pretending. This isn't some movie set and I know what's going on."

"_What _act?"

I really didn't feel like explaining his sin to him.

Thankfully, I didn't have to. "You left your cell phone on Karin's couch when you went over to her place. She answered it when we called her earlier, and told us." Ino said from the other side of the room. She was leaning against the wall with her hands crossed across her chest and I envied her ability to stay cool in this situation.

Sasuke turned so he could look at Ino. "But I never went inside." He insisted.

"Teme, why would you have to lie about that? The witch answered your phone, for Gods' sake. How else would she have gotten a hold of it?" Naruto asked, placing his soda can down on the counter.

Sasuke looked cornered and exasperated. "I don't know! I'd lost it earlier today. I have no idea how Karin ended up with it, but she did, and she lied. _She's _the one who lied. I never went into her apartment, and I never plan to," Sasuke said, throwing his hands up. Then he turned to me. "Sakura, you have got to believe me."

There was silence. And of course, Naruto was the one to break it. "You know, I wouldn't put it past her to steal." He said slowly, carefully.

"You think that Karin stole his phone?" I asked incredulously, and, sadly, a little bit hopeful. I didn't want to believe that Sasuke was a liar. There just wasn't any other explanation for why Karin had his phone. "But why?"

Ino walked over to join us in the kitchen. "Maybe because she wanted something like this, " she gestured to the four of us, "to happen. She wants you to doubt Sasuke."

"And it worked," Sasuke said, looking right at me. "Didn't it?" There was no accusation in his voice; he was simply making a statement.

I felt ashamed. All this time Sasuke had been loyal and I hadn't had any faith in him. I took a deep breath before I nodded a little bit. I braced myself for Sasuke to get angry, or perhaps accuse me of having doubts while all this time he had stayed loyal. He did none of those things. Instead, he stepped closer and wrapped his arms around me. Sitting on the stool I was at the same height as Sasuke, and I rested my head on his shoulder, face turned into his neck.

"I'm sorry. I know you would never lie. But what was I to think?" I whispered so softly it was practically inaudible. His finely tuned ears picked it up though.

"I understand. Come back to my place with me." He said, stroking my hair trying to comfort me. I felt a third hand pat my back, and pulled out the hug to see who it was.

Naruto smiled at me, hand still on my upper back, and said, "Go. I'll drive your car over in the morning." I smiled at him and Ino, silently thanking them with my eyes. The platinum blond nodded and held up my keys to emphasize Naruto's words.

I turned back to Sasuke. "Okay." And he took my hand.

* * *

><p>I was bound. There were ropes around my hands, around my arms, across my torso, and around my ankles. I couldn't move, secured to a heavy wooden chair. The cloth in my mouth prevented me from screaming. The room they'd put me in reeked of something unknown and it was dark. So, so dark. It was like a never-ending night without any stars nor the moon. I couldn't remember how long I had been stuck down here, without food or drink but surprisingly I didn't feel hungry nor parched. It was probably the adrenaline coursing through my veins. I was in some serious trouble, and probably danger.<p>

There were footsteps above me, and I worked out that I was in a basement of some sort. There was laughter and words spoken. I couldn't make them out. Oh, how badly I wanted to scream for help! These ropes were so constricting and the more I struggled the more severely the material cut into my skin. I could feel blood trickling down my hands from wounds on my wrists, courtesy of the rope tied around them.

I had no idea how I had gotten here. I'd woken up here after falling asleep. The last thing I remembered was getting into bed with Sasuke, then this. _How could this be happening?_ I was too stunned and scared to cry. There were more footsteps, this time right above me. There was probably only about five feet separating me from possible help, and the presence of the damn floorboards that prevented me from getting any aid upset me.

Suddenly the basement was flooded with light and I cringed away from the sudden change that hurt my eyes. Ever so slowly, my eyes adjusted, yet I was still squinting. Standing in front of me were Sasuke and Karin. Help! I wanted to sob in relief.

Then Karin spoke. "Aww, look at her. She looks like a wounded puppy. So sad." She said with absolutely no remorse.

My eyes darted over to Sasuke next, who was smirking. "Yes, it is very sad." He was agreeing with her? My heart sped up and my eyes grew wide with fear. They weren't here to rescue me, in fact, they were probably the ones who put me here. What the hell was happening? Why didn't I remember any of this? I struggled against the ropes once more and the searing pain sent red flashing before my eyes.

I tried screaming again, to no avail. "Poor thing is hurting herself! Maybe you shouldn't have tied those ropes so tight, Sasuke baby."

I stopped struggling in light of the fact that Sasuke had been the one who bound me. I didn't have any time to think, though, because Karin was advancing on me with a knife glittering in her hand. My breathing grew shallow as I almost hyperventilated. She was going to kill me.

"Oh, don't worry. Just hold still. I'm going to put you out of your misery." She said. I closed my eyes and braced myself for the pain. Instead, I felt the fabric of my gag come out of my mouth and opened my eyes to see it fall to the ground. I looked back up at Karin, who was smiling at me. "See, there was nothing to worry about. I was _helping_ you." She laughed and backed away, the knife disappearing when she put her hand behind her back. "Just don't scream or I'll have to put it back on."

"Sasuke.." I said weakly. His eyes flashed.

"Shut up..." What happened next shocked me. Ever so slowly, he drew a gun from his belt and pointed it at my forehead. "…And die." The gunshot shook the house.

I gasped and sat up in bed, darkness greeting me. I was panting hard and sweat covered every inch of my body. _It was just a dream, it was just a dream, it was just a _dream. I repeated to myself over and over. I was shaking—hard. There was movement beside me and Sasuke sat up next to me, hand on my back. His face was tired and beyond him I saw the clock that read 3:15am. "What's wrong?" He mumbled tiredly. I stared straight into his face, so unlike the one in my dream. The Sasuke in my dream was possessed…. Evil…. Bloodthirsty. _Shut up and die._ I shuddered and tears started flowing down my cheeks.

"Sakura, what's wrong?" He asked again, fully awake. I wrapped my arms around him, sobbing into his bare chest, drenching his skin with my tears.

"I had a nightmare." I said between hiccups. He _shh_ed me back to sleep, rubbing my back and whispering comforting words in my ear. I clutched at him, thankful that it was just a nightmare and that the Sasuke I had drempt up didn't really exist.

But I had to wonder, did that dream mean something? And if so, what?

* * *

><p><strong>Don't be shy, send in a review!<strong>


	9. Chapter 9: Broken

**Chapter 9: Broken**

_Karin's POV_

"Cut, cut! That's good guys, we're done for the day!" Mr. Haruno called from his director's seat. I smiled suggestively at Sasuke before stepping down from the set and walked briskly towards one of the tech guys sitting at his desk towards the back of the studio, already getting to work on cutting and editing the takes.

I slammed my hand down on his keyboard, surprising him and making him jump back in his swivel chair. "What the—"

"Why hello. Would you mind doing me a _huge_ favor?" I leaned over and let my glasses slip down my nose a little so that I could look at him through my eyelashes. This guy had been eyeing me all week and it would have been uncharacteristic of me not to notice. Perfect, it would just make getting what I needed a whole lot easier.

"Um, uh, su-sure. What is it?" His eyes flickered down to my chest, admiring the slight cleavage that could be seen under my v-neck tee that Costume Design had put me in. He started to sweat. Poor soul.

"I need you to give me a copy of all the audio we captured today." I said.

He started to pull at the collar of his shirt, obviously uncomfortable. "Ah, well, I'm sorry, but I can't do that for you… I'm really sorry."

I leaned off of his desk to stand behind him and placed my hands on his shoulders, lightly massaging them. He gulped loudly. I leaned over to whisper in his ear while looking at his computer screen, which displayed some kind of movie editing software. "You look like a really, _really_ talented guy. Giving me a copy of today's audio files can't be _that_ hard, can it? Surely you know how to do it?"

"Uh, uh, of course! Just give me a second."

I leaned back on my heels, no longer touching him. "Perfect." He clicked around on his computer for a bit then produced a CD, which he held out to me.

"Here. It's got everything Mr. Haruno filmed today, minus the video. All the audio, in the highest quality possible."

I took the CD from his hands. "Why, thank you…." I looked at him expectantly.

"Tadao."

I smiled. "Tadao. I'm sure I can trust you not to tell anyone about this, right? All I want is to make sure my accent's right for this movie. Of course you understand?" He nodded. "Thank you." And with a wink to seal the deal, I walked out of his cubicle.

In my dressing room, I began to undress and redress in my own clothes. In the middle of this process, I was interrupted by a knock on the door. "Karin." Sasuke's voice called from the other side.

I debated whether or not I should have opened my door at the moment. After all, I was only wearing a bra and jeans, having been in the middle of changing. Deciding it would have been very sluttish of me, I merely called back, remembering to sugar coat my voice. "Yeah, Sasuke?"

"I know you have my cell phone, and I want it back." Oh, shit. How did he know? Sakura must have told him. Did that mean my plan didn't work? I looked around my dressing room desperately, searching for my computer, the CD Tadao had put together for me, and Sasuke's cell phone.

"Hold on, I'm not dressed," I smirked to myself. Yes, I could have said I was _changing_, but thought it was much more exciting to mention that I didn't have any clothes on. "I'll bring it over to your room when I'm wearing something."

There was a pause. "I'm leaving the studio now. Just give it back to me." Sasuke's muffled voice called from the other side of the wall.

_Dammit, I've still got business with that phone!_ "I won't take long." I promised sweetly. He _hmph_ed and walked away. Hearing his dressing room close, I quickly locked the door and sat down with the phone, laptop, and CD. Time to have some fun.

* * *

><p><em>Sakura's POV<em>

I'd been overthinking, _again._ It was the third time today where I'd found myself sitting out on my balcony with a glass of cool water, just thinking. _How was Auntie's dog? Should I have called Dad back? When was the last time I saw Hinata and Tenten? _Many things flitted across my mind, but the one thing I seemed to keep returning to was Sasuke. _Why did I have that dream last night? Could it have meant anything? Is Karin a klepto or is Sasuke still lying?_

My heart started to pound with worry. _I really shouldn't be alone right now._ It was true; I needed to go do something with someone otherwise I would drown in my own thoughts. I reached for my phone to call Ino and ask if she wanted to go to the gym. A good workout would get my mind off of things. Right as my fingers touched my phone, it began to ring. Sasuke's number and picture popped up on my phone and I smiled. It was a photo we'd taken a year ago on a rainy day. Our faces were tilted towards the sky, accepting the water droplets that fell onto them. We were laughing.

Before the call would go unanswered, I picked up. "Hello?" Even I could hear the smile in my voice. "Hello? Sasuke?"

_"Sasuke, she picked up."_ The smile dropped off of my face immediately. It was Karin's voice, on Sasuke's phone, _again._ There were some muffled sounds of a phone being transferred to someone else's hands.

"Sasuke? Is this you now? What's—"

_ "We're breaking up." _

"What?"

_ "It's over. I'm done with you."_

"Sasuke… Please, tell me what's wrong! This doesn't have to happen."

_ "Don't make me repeat myself. It's done. We're over."_

"Sasuke, I'm sorry. I don't know what I did, but I'm sorry! I'm so, so sorry!"

_"Quit apologizing. There's nothing you can do." _

"Sasuke…"

"_Goodbye. " Click. _I stood absolutely still. My eyes drifted down to the device in my hands and when I caught sight of how much my hand was shaking, I dropped it on the floor with a gasp. That was when I realized how much my whole body was shaking. I couldn't stop—it was like something had taken over my mind and was violently shoving me back and forth until I dropped down on the ground next to my cell, crying without tears.

_So... He finally did it. Sasuke finally realized I wasn't good enough and found someone else. _I just wished that 'someone else' wasn't Karin. That was just too much for me. He was a great actor. If all this time he'd been interested in Karin, then why didn't he just leave me then? Why in the world did he have to keep tugging me along when he could have had her from the moment they met? Anger and sadness flashed through me. Knowing Sasuke was just toying with me all this time was too much to handle, and suddenly I didn't have the energy to be mad anymore, but the feeling was still there.

I rolled up on the ground, on the brink of hyperventilating. My lungs pulled in shallow breaths and my heart clenched so tight I reached my hand up to grip my shirt right above my heart as if that was going to lessen the pain in any way. Oh, how heartbreak was so literal. I clenched my hands in my hair and squeezed my eyes shut, just wanting to disappear.

* * *

><p><em>Sasuke's POV<em>

There was a knock on my dressing room door. I put my book down, walked over, and pulled the door open to reveal Karin standing in front of me with one of her fake smiles and holding out my phone. I scowled and took it from her.

"And aren't you going to say 'thank you'?" She asked sweetly, batting her eyelashes.

"What do I have you to thank for?" I asked coldly, remembering Naruto's guess at Karin stealing my phone then lying to upset Sakura.

"Well, for finding your phone of course! And giving it back to you, no less." She put a hand on her hip to mimic looking upset. She just looked annoying.

My door shut in her face.

* * *

><p><em>Sakura's POV<em>

I remained in a fetal position on the floor until the sun disappeared from the sky, leaving a golden glow over the city in its wake. Only then did I pull myself together, eyes strained and bloodshot. I sniffled and stood up, taking my phone up in my hands.

I tried to asses my feelings first, and the most prominent was one of loneliness. I was feeling extremely lonely. It was like the part in my heart reserved by Sasuke had been abruptly cleared and left empty as a hole that could never be filled up again. The best I could do right now was not to be alone. My mind and body needed to be around people. That was the easiest thing to do right now.

Suddenly my phone lit up in my hand. The screen displayed Ino's number and picture, and I answered. "Hello?" My voice sounded dry and hoarse.

_"Hey Sakura, did you want to go out for dinner? You me and Naruto; we wanted to try this new sushi place right near the mall. How about it?"_ She asked. Huh, so she was oblivious to Sasuke's call. That figures, Sasuke would want me to break it to everyone. Suddenly Naruto's nickname for him - _teme -_ made a whole lot of sense. But I just didn't have the heart to go out with Ino and Naruto right now, to fake smiles and laugh when I'd rather cry. What I needed was to be around people I didn't know. To avoid looks of pity from friends who knew Sasuke, and to bask in the anonymity of a room full of strangers, each with their own stories too long to be interested in mine.

_"_I'm not really feeling hungry right now." It wasn't a lie. "But you guys should go ahead. I'll catch up with you later, okay?"

_"Sakura, I can hear your boots clicking on the ground. And you don't sound well. Where are you going?"_ Ino was too observant, I concluded.

I hesitated, but came out with it anyway. "Club Fuel."

_"Sakura, you really shouldn't go there alone."_ I heard the concern in her voice. She was right, in a way; Club Fuel was a 21-and-older club where they didn't even serve water. Although it was a more up-scale nightclub that didn't admit scumbags, there was no protection against the rich man looking for a nice young lady to bring home. And those rich men could get a little rough when drunk. I had never been there before, since I had just turned 21, but I'd heard about it from some friends and wanted to try it out. Originally I'd meant to go with Ino, Naruto, and Sasuke, but it just wasn't going to work out that way. Anyway, all I wanted to do was grab a drink and blend into the wall and people watch. I just didn't want to be alone and it was too late out to go to the park and people watch there. And I wasn't hungry so a restaurant wouldn't do either.

"I know, but I'll be careful. Just… don't follow me, okay? I'll be fine."

She hesitated. _"Al… Alright, Sakura, but seriously, call us if anything happens. I've heard stories about Club Fuel, you know. Don't get drunk."_

"Yeah, I know, Ino. I never get drunk anyway."

_"Will you tell me what's wrong afterwards? Please?"_

"Okay."

_"Promise?"_

"Only if you promise not to follow me."

A pause. _"I promise not to follow you."_

"Then I promise to tell you what's going on later."

_"Thank you."_

* * *

><p><em>Ino's POV<em>

I frowned at my phone after Sakura hung up. "That's weird…"

Naruto looked at me. "Where's Sakura going?"

"Club Fuel."

His eyes widened. "She shouldn't be there alone!"

"I told her that… And she made me promise that we wouldn't follow her. But I'm worried."

"I am too. Call Sasuke and tell him to go with her."

"I think I might just do that."

* * *

><p><em>Sasuke's POV<em>

I was sitting on my couch, watching a football **(a/n: soccer)** game on my television.

"GOAL!" The announcer shouted. I sighed and shook my head. Konoha's team's keeper needed to be replaced. How could he let in a goal like that? The other team's striker didn't even have time to make a proper kick, and yet the ball made its way into the back of Konoha's net. _What a disappointment. _I thought.

My phone rang then, sparing me from having to pay attention to all the replays of the goalkeeper's failure and the spastic speech of the hyperactive announcers. "Hello?" I answered.

"_Hey, Sasuke, it's Ino."_

"Oh hey, what's up?"

"_I'm a little worried about Sakura…"_

I sat up a little straighter and a feeling of concern washed over me. "Why?"

"_Well, she just called me and she didn't sound right. There was something in her voice. Then she said that she was going to Club Fuel all alone."_

"She shouldn't be alone there." Naruto and I had gone there a few times in the past, before the girls were old enough to go with us. This would have been Sakura's first time there, and she definitely should not be going there by herself. I knew that type of crowd, and I knew how to deal with them. The thing was that Sakura didn't.

"_I know, but she made us promise that we wouldn't follow her."_

"But that doesn't mean I can't."

"_No, it doesn't. You should head over there right now, before anything happens." _

"I know. Thanks for telling me, Ino." I hung up, grabbed my jacket, and cursed that the drive to Club Fuel from my loft would take twenty minutes minimum.

* * *

><p><em>Sakura's POV<em>

Club Fuel was a lot nicer than I thought it would be. The dance floor was large and spacious, the speakers and strobe lights were high-tech, the place was clean, and the bar was glass. Over all, the place looked classy. The crowd looked classy. No one was wearing a simple jeans and tee—the women wore cocktail dresses and the men wore nice slacks and did their hair. Everything smelled of designer labels. What was Ino talking about? People here didn't look dangerous; they were just people from Upper Konoha wanting to have a night of fun. There was also a rumor that Club Fuel had a set of nice Back Rooms, but I didn't want to think about that. I wouldn't be using one tonight, anyway.

I headed over to the bar, where a nice-looking middle aged man was bar-tending. I sat down in an empty seat and ordered. The bar stool was capable of turning around, so I swiveled the seat so that I could look out into the crowd and people watch like I had wanted to.

There was a group of women who looked just a few years older than me. They were dancing in a tight group, with one in particular who stood out to me as their leader. She was wearing an enviable black dress that showed off all her curves, and she sure had a lot to show off. She was the tallest and held her head high, smiling confidently as she danced with her friends.

Over on the other side of the dance floor, there was a bunch of guys who were all facing the same way: towards the group of women. They looked about the same age as the ladies, and were obviously checking them out. By noticing their hand gestures, I could tell that they were scoping each one out and choosing which one each of them wanted.

Soon they had worked everything out and the guys walked over, adding a little more swag in their gaits and approached the women, who were probably expecting them to come sooner or later. The blond stud had chosen the sexy brunette; the charming red-head with the petite blonde; the tall Asian man with the dark skinned beauty. The girls flirted and laughed, and the guys grinned. They started to dance, and I brought my eyes away from their interactions.

A couple not far away from them became the subject of my people-watching, and they were dirty dancing. I quickly moved my eyes away when the man moved his hand from the woman's bottom to the inside of her thigh and doing something with it that made her head tilt back and lips part in what was so obviously a sigh of pleasure.

"People watching?" A voice next to me said. Surprised, I turned towards the source of the words to face a man who was sitting in the bar stool next to mine.

"Yeah. There are a lot of things you can learn just by looking at people." I said sheepishly.

"I agree. Did you know that your nose does this little scrunching thing when you see something that disgusts you?"

"You were watching me?"

A shameless smile. "Yeah, I hope you don't mind. It's hard to take my eyes off of you, to be honest."

I did a quick evaluation of him. He was tall, about 5'11'', and had brown hair that was meticulously styled to hang just the right way. His build was slender yet his arms hinted at the muscle that could show up if he flexed, and his smile was friendly. This guy didn't look like such a bad person, and I decided that I would let myself talk to him for a little more, even if he would keep up the flirting. It was harmless anyway. I just didn't want to be alone.

I laughed. "Thanks…" I raised my eyebrow and tilted my head to the side.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. My name's Kaito." He held out his hand.

I took it saying, "I'm Sakura." He didn't mention a last name, so I didn't give mine. I was grateful of that; if I had had to reveal that I was a Haruno and if he knew who my parents were, all my efforts at being anonymous would have been for nothing.

"It's very nice to meet you, Sakura." He said with another smile. His teeth were perfectly straight. "So why are you here alone?"

Well, it wouldn't hurt. "My boyfriend broke up with me." I blurted out.

He frowned and took a sip of his martini. "I'm sorry. That guy must be a fool." He smiled again and waved to the bartender to bring him another glass.

"Yeah, well, I think he was cheating actually." There was bitterness in my voice, but probably not as much as there was in my heart.

He raised his eyebrows. "A girl that's better than you? I don't think such a person exists."

"You're charming." I said. _And such a flirt._ I surprised myself when I didn't feel like slapping him. _I'm single now. I deserve to be flirted with. This is all okay._ A smile tugged at my lips.

He shrugged. "Yeah, well, I try." The bartender arrived with his next martini and he drank the vodka down in two gulps.

"Are you a heavy drinker?"

He smiled guiltily. "I'm no lightweight, that's for sure."

"I can tell."

"Do you drink?"

"I'm not a lightweight either, but I don't let myself get drunk. Ever." I said sternly.

He flashed a smile. "Hmm. Well then, I want you to try something."

"What is it?"

"I'm warning you now: it's not very pleasant."

"Are you trying to get me drunk?" I asked skeptically. "It won't work."

"Not at all! But no promises on _me_ staying sober." He smirked.

"Okay, I'll try it." I gave in with a shrug. He smiled aagain then asked the bartender to bring over a salt shaker, two slices of lime, then shots of tequila.

"Oh God." I said, wide-eyed.

Kaito turned to me. "You've done this before?"

I nodded, recalling the time… No, I didn't want to think about that. It was such a crazy night, and I wanted it out of my head. "Yeah, I have."

He slumped in his seat. "Oh.. well.. want to do it again?"

I shrugged. Why not? "Sure, I guess."

He lit up again. "Alright, cool." Kaito's order arrived, and he reached for the salt shaker. I held my hand out and he poured some onto the back of my hand and did the same to his. We picked up the lime wedges and the shot glasses.

"Ready?" He asked. I nodded grimly. "Three… Two… One…" Together we licked the salt off the backs of our hands, downed the liquor, and bit into the citrus slices.

My face probably contorted into some tortured look and Kaito just laughed. "You're not even choking!" I accused him.

"I've done this many times before. You seem to be handling it well, too. You're right; you're not a lightweight after all. It's good when a woman can hold down her drink." _He called me a woman._

We sat in silence as my taste buds recovered from the concoction and he downed his fifth martini. "Ooh, there's the buzz." He slurred. I had a feeling he was way past buzzing two martinis ago. I knew this guy wasn't as big as a drinker as he claimed he was. I just didn't want to call him out and burst his bubble. I stood up, not wanting to be responsible for a drunk.

"Well, thanks for the _conversation_," I forced myself not to say '_distraction_', "I guess I'll see you around." I left some money on the counter for my drinks and turned to leave.

A hand caught my wrist and gripped, hard. "Hey, what the hell—" I began, but then was interrupted by Kaito who was forcibly kissing me. I kept my lips firmly shut and pushed him away, making him release my hand. He was piss drunk now. "Get off of me." Where did the bartender go?

"Hey, sugar, you're so hot when you're mad. God, I want to tap you." He leaned back and let out a low whistle, his eyes traveling up and down my body, making me feel violated. I crossed my arms over my chest in a discreet effort to hide away from him, but quickly returned them to my sides when I realized that the motion only pushed up my breasts, making Kaito's eyes go wide at the sight of cleavage. I backed away slowly, preparing to shout for a bouncer.

Kaito leaped up from his bar stool and held a hand over my mouth and the other went securely around my waist, keeping me pressed to him. He was too strong for me to escape. He bent his head down and his alcohol-coated breath traveled across my face as he whispered, "Come with me Sakura. You'll soon learn that I _always _get what I want. And I want _you_." What the heck was this? It frightened me that he was able to be so quick when he was drunk. His speech wasn't even slurred in that last sentence. This wasn't supposed to be happening, I knew I should have listened to Ino and not gone alone! I kicked myself for making her promise not to follow me. Now I was alone and incapable of fighting.

_Shit! Someone help me, please!_

* * *

><p><strong>As always, reviews would be magnificent :) <strong>_  
><em>


	10. Chapter 10: Survival

**Warning: attempted rape. :P**

**Chapter 10: Survival**

_Sakura's POV_

Kaito crushed me into his chest, keeping one hand over my mouth and the other arm around my torso, pinning my arms to my sides. He brought his head down to whisper menacingly into my ear, "Now, Princess, don't you dare try to run. You know I'd just find you again and sooner or later I'll get what I want. Don't struggle or it'll be really bad for you, and for your parents." My eyes got wide. _He knows my parents?_ As if he could read my mind, he laughed and continued to whisper, "That's right, baby I know you're that Haruno girl. Your parents are those two movie buffs. I've seen your picture all around town. You did that Vendi photo shoot. How could you think that I wouldn't recognize you? Not many people have hair this pink." As if to emphasize his point, he sniffed my hair and I stiffened.

Feeling brave, I swiftly raised my knee and hoped it would connect, but he was too quick. The hand he had around my body went down to block the blow, and now that my arms were free I aimed a few punches at him, which he dodged. What the hell, I thought this guy was drunk!

I prepared for another hit when he narrowed his eyes and said, "I didn't think you were such a selfish girl that you'd willingly sacrifice your parents."

I froze instantly and he took the advantage and grabbed both my hands, forcibly tugging me with him as he led me down the hallway that led to the Back Rooms. He quickly opened the door to one of the rooms and shoved me in. I bit my lip to keep from screaming, but that didn't stop the tears that were flowing down my face. Although my parents weren't always there for me, I still loved them and I wasn't about to go putting them in danger because of my own stupidity.

After locking the door and wedging a chair under the knob, Kaito turned to me with a vicious smile. He walked over slowly and I backed up until I hit the wall. He was going to rape me. I could tell by looking at his eyes. He was going to hurt me, and maybe even kill me. The feeling of knowing I was going to die soon was worse now than it was in my dream last night.

As he approached me I saw something glinting in his hand. It was a knife. Oh yes, he was going to kill me. I was going to die here, lonely and hurt. He brought the knife to my throat and I shut my eyes, trying to get my throat as far away from the blade as possible. Unfortunately, I couldn't get that far away. The metal of the knife wasn't pressed hard enough against my skin to draw blood, but I knew that if I tried to struggle that I would end up killing myself. He tried to kiss me then, but I swiftly turned my head, causing the blade to slit the skin at my neck, ever so slightly. I gasped in pain and felt the blood begin to trickle down my chest.

"Now, now, Sakura baby, don't do that. If you refuse me, you'll die. You'll end up killing yourself. Don't do that." He grabbed my chin and forced me to look at him. "Now you can either kiss me or the knife will kiss you. It's your choice." He smiled and kissed me then, and I had no choice but to kiss him back. "Honey, I know you're a better kisser than that." Kaito pressed his lips to mine again, and I kissed back a little more, hating myself more and more by the second.

When he finally drew back I screamed on instinct. My mouth opened and I let out the loudest scream of my life. _Please, someone hear me, please!_

I shut my mouth abruptly, remembering Kaito's threat. "No, no, I'm sorry I didn't mean to scream please don't hurt my parents, please!" I begged.

He merely smiled. "No need to apologize, sugar. It doesn't matter if you scream anymore, even if someone hears you, you're just another whore in the Back Room." His hand snaked between my thighs, still covered by my jeans, and rubbed. "Now get wet for me, baby. I don't want to hurt you, but I don't have a lot of time to wait for you. You're just too damn hot." His other hand grasped roughly at my breast underneath my shirt and bra. "Dammit, I have to fuck you, _now." _

I screamed again.

* * *

><p><em>Sasuke's POV<em>

I pulled up to Club Fuel and parked my car on the street. There wasn't any time to waste. Even if Sakura was actually okay, I couldn't take any chances.

Walking up to the entrance, I sped past the long line of people waiting to get in and flashed my I.D. to the bouncer, who saw my name and let me in without a wait. There were complaints from the nobodies in line, but I didn't stick around long enough to hear them. Names equaled power around here.

I entered the club and looked past the crowds of people to the outskirts of the club, checking the couches, seating areas, and the bar. Knowing Sakura, if Ino was telling the truth about her not sounding well, she would want to be alone yet surrounded by people. Her reasoning would always be an enigma to me. I didn't spot her anywhere, so I decided to walk around instead. Women in short skirts and high heels walked up to me, asking if I wanted to feel like a big boy tonight. I pushed them away without a glance, continuing my search. _Where the hell could she be?_ _Could she have already left?_

As I walked past the opening of the Back Rooms hallway, I heard a scream. _I'd recognize that scream anywhere_. It was the same one that came out of her when we'd watch scary movies together at my house. It was the same one that I heard every Halloween when Naruto and I would dress up and scare the girls. It was the same one that she let out when we'd gone rock climbing and she almost fell until her harness caught her. Except that this one was real. I could feel the urgency in that second of high pitched noise, and immediately my feet got moving. I ran down the hall and opened door after door after door revealing empty rooms until I got to one where the door was locked. I heard a man's voice, low and threatening, and a woman's frightened and desperate breathing and gasps coming from inside.

Sakura was in there. I tried the knob again, but it was locked. "Help! Help!" Sakura's voice screamed before the sound was muffled, probably by a hand. Deciding it was time for desperate measures, I backed up and raised my foot, bringing it crashing down on the doorknob, successfully breaking the lock and the doorknob all in one. But still the door wouldn't budge. _He must have barricaded it. _Backing up again, I braced myself as I ran towards the wood, pounding my shoulder into it over and over until finally the chair was knocked out of the way and I was allowed entry.

The sight in front of me made my blood boil. A man held Sakura around her upper body and held the tip of a knife to her throat. "Don't move or she'll die."

I held my hands up, willing myself to calm down and take control of the situation. "Come on now man, you don't have to do that."

He jerked her, making her whimper a little. "Sasuke." She whispered.

"Shut up!" He pressed the knife into her neck, creating a slit right under her jaw. Beads of blood began to form along the cut.

Very discreetly, I placed my hand on the side of the doorframe, making it look like I was using it for support. _Hm, so he doesn't know what I'm doing. He must not have been here before._ Now that he couldn't see my fingers, they quickly felt for a little red button that I knew would be there. I pressed it. There was silence.

Suddenly the bouncer and a few security guards came rushing over. The guards took out their guns and aimed it at the abductor, who raised his own hands in the air. At their command, he dropped the knife too. Once he was disarmed, the guards swiftly handcuffed him and escorted him away. It was now Sakura and me alone in the room.

I rushed over to her, wrapping my arms around her. "Thank God you're okay, don't ever go to places this like alone, alright?" Then I realized she wasn't hugging me back. She was perfectly still, not even sobbing. I stood back and held her at arm's length. I looked inter her eyes and saw some conflict in them.

The first thing she said was, "Sasuke, let go of me." In a very leveled voice. Confused, I dropped my arms and backed up.

"Sakura, what's wrong?"

"Stop pretending like you care. Just quit it, okay?" She was cold as stone. I wanted to sweep her back into my arms again, after all, she had almost been assaulted for goodness' sake! I wanted to hold her, to make sure she was okay and that she was safe. But she was pushing me away now, and I had no idea why.

"What are you talking about?"

"Don't pity me! Don't you dare pity me! After what you did! How could you?" Her eyes started to well up as she angrily clenched her fists at her sides.

"Sakura, I don't know what you're talking about. Tell me what I did." If she wasn't going to be calm, then I'd have to be calm for both of us.

"It's your fault I came here tonight. You left me alone, with no explanations and no clue as to why you wanted to end it. I was so lonely, so I came here, and look what happened!" She yelled at me. "_I almost got raped!"_ She wrapped her arms around herself as protection. From what, I wasn't sure. _From me?_ But I hadn't done anything! Was she lonely because I wasn't spending enough time with her? No… That wasn't it. This was a different kind of loneliness she was speaking of. But was it one that I could cure?

I held my hand out as she wiped her eyes on her sleeve, soaking up the angry tears. "Sakura, please come with me. Talk to me. Explain why you're upset."

"No. You're just as bad at that other guy." Ouch. Did she just compare me to the rapist? I decided not to get angry and to blame it on the trauma she was probably experiencing.

"Then at least let me get you out of here. It's not safe here, as you can probably tell now." I said. Ever so slowly, she came forward from the wall and followed me out of the club. Once outside I noticed that she took deep breaths of the fresh air. Sakura always calmed in the presence of good, clean air. My mind went back to that day when we'd gone hiking and she finally opened up to me romantically. She'd wanted to escape the paparazzi, and had suggested that we'd go trail running as an escape. I smiled that the pleasant memory.

We climbed into my car and I started the engine. We drove in silence for a few moments, then Sakura spoke. "What the hell are you doing? The Tower is the other way."

"I'm taking you back to my place."

I could feel the hostility rolling off of her in waves. "Right, because I'd want to go to your house after what you told me today. Go to hell, Sasuke, but take me to _my_ home before you do, or I swear—"

"What did I do, Sakura?"

"How could you ask that _again?_ Since you seem to have some kind of short term memory loss when it comes to making total wrecks of people's lives, I'll just have to remind you. You broke up with me, Sasuke! Without any explanation or a 'sorry' or anything! You left me! For _Karin!_"

We were silent after her outburst. She was breathing hard, as if coming out with all that was physically exhausting. It probably _was_ too, since Sakura didn't usually get mad. Ever. But now she was _furious. _And it was because I'd left her… for Karin? That didn't make any sense. I hadn't talked to her since last night and had only gotten my phone back this evening from Karin after filming.

_From Karin…_

It clicked in my head now, but there was still a piece missing. "… When did I break up with you?" I asked slowly. From the corner of my eye I could tell she was looking at me with an _are-you-freaking-crazy?_ look.

Probably thinking I really _did_ have memory loss, she answered, "You called me at 5:30." _I got my phone back from Karin at 6. _

"Sakura, that wasn't me who called you."

"What the hell, Sasuke, as if you could actually get away with that one. It was a call from your phone, your number, and your voice was the one that spoke to me. Don't even try that with me."

"Sakura, I'm serious. Karin had my phone until 6."

"I know Karin's a bitch and all, but don't use her as a scapegoat. And how do you explain the fact that _your voice_ was the one that was talking to me?"

Perhaps… "What were the words I used to break up with you, Sakura? Tell me."

"You're going to make me repeat them to you." It wasn't a question.

I grimaced. Please don't blow up, Sakura, I'll explain it all! "Yes."

After a long silence Sakura spoke softly, as if reluctantly visiting a terrible memory. "'We're breaking up. It's over. I'm done with you. Don't make me repeat myself. It's done. We're over. Quit apologizing. There's nothing you can do.'" He voice dropped at the end and all I wanted to do was hold her hand, but I restrained myself from doing to. It must have been hard for her to say the words again, and I couldn't be of any comfort to her until I explained what was going on.

"Those are words from the script."

"What script?" She asked quietly.

"The script for your parent's movie. My script. My character's script. Those lines were from the scenes we filmed-"

Her voice grew strong with renewed anger, "Oh great, so you couldn't even come up with original break up lines to use on me, huh? Am I just that worthless? Just because-"

"_No, Sakura._ I didn't say any of that to you. I think... I think Karin played the audio to you over the phone." I let it digest in her brain. _Do you remember, Sakura? Karin had my phone yesterday and today. She used it to make it seem like I was breaking up with you. Do you understand now? It wasn't me, it was all her! I didn't say any of those things to you._ I stayed quiet. We pulled into the underground garage of my building at I cut the engine. We sat in silence, the only light coming from the lights strung along the ceiling of the garage.

"Is that… is that really possible?" There was a glint of hope in her voice. I latched onto that hope, and worked to build its foundation.

"Yes, and I think that's what happened. Karin didn't give me back my phone until 6, and you said you'd gotten the call at 5:30."

"But… why?"

"We both know Karin's been trying to win me over, so she was probably getting desperate. And she'd already weakened your faith in me with that first call when she'd lied about me being over at her house. But Sakura, she doesn't realize that she can't take me away from you, so long as you still want me." I turned to look her in the eyes. The green of them was striking and I felt a little blown away by their intensity, just like every other time I'd look into her eyes.

Her voice was but a whisper. "Of course I still want you…" I smiled. She'd said almost the exact same words to me that one day on top of the hill…

My hand cupped the back of her neck and brought her lips to mine. She didn't fight, but helped the kiss when both her hands weaved into my hair.

"I'm…so…sorry that…I…fell for….that….I….should….have known," she said between kisses. Then she pulled back and looked me right in the face. "And I'm so sorry for saying those things to you."

I raised my hand to brush my fingertips over the clotting slits on her neck from that bastard's knife. "Don't be sorry. It's not your fault. You were hurt, and I don't blame you for saying those things. I love you." She grabbed my wrist and held my hand up to cup her cheek, then she tilted her face into my palm.

"I love you, Sasuke." I kissed her one more time, long and sweet, and we pulled away breathless.

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><p><em>Karin's POV<em>

Suigetsu and I were back together again. He'd called this morning to tell me how much he missed me and that he was sorry. Unlike all the other times, he actually sounded genuine when he spoke the words. And just like that, we were on once more.

The first thing I felt after Suigetsu's call was happiness. I would finally get to be with the love of my life (for reasons even I can't seem to figure out) and he's finally given up his playboy days to be with me, and only me. After the joy faded away, guilt came rushing in. Just the day before I'd made poor Sakura think that Sasuke had broken up with her, just so that I could swoop in and take Sasuke for myself without the pinkette getting in the way again.

I couldn't believe I was willing to go that far just to make Suigetsu jealous. But now that him and I were back together again, there would be no need for that anymore. How was I supposed to fix this? Perhaps explain myself? But that would be bad. I needed this job with the Harunos; getting this movie out would launch my already stellar career into something spectacular.

But once I thought about it a little more… Did I really deserve to have this opportunity anymore? I'd been such a bitch to Sakura, and I'm sure that if her parents found out, they'd promptly fire me. But wasn't that what I deserved? And even if things didn't work out with this film, there'd be plenty more jobs for me out there. Maybe I should just come clean.

At the studio, I took a seat in my chair and kept an eye on the door for when Sasuke arrived.

I saw the black hair come through the doorway and grimaced, thinking about what I was about to do. Telling my hair and makeup people to 'hold on for a sec', I walked over to Sasuke, who was facing out the doorway. Suddenly Sakura walked in behind him, and they were holding hands. _Maybe they'd found me out before I even got a chance to own up. _But it was too late to turn around.

"Karin." It was Sasuke's voice.

Defeated, I replied, "Sasuke. Sakura…. Look—"

"We already know, Karin." Sakura said. She wasn't angry-sounding, but she wasn't completely sympathetic either.

Guilt coursed through my body and I hugged myself, trying to protect myself from the karma that was sure to come my way. "I'm sorry. I really shouldn't have… It's just… There's this guy, Suigetsu, and we're in this 'on-and-off' thing and whenever it's 'off' he thinks he's free to go do every girl in sight… And I thought that if I could get you, Sasuke, then maybe I could give him a piece of his own medicine and I just… I don't know what to say. I'm sorry."

"You know that I'm going to have to tell my parents, right?"

There it was. I faltered slightly. "Yes, I know."

"Okay. And Karin…" I looked down into Sakura's green eyes. "It's not worth it to get a guy jealous. People don't change… So maybe you should rethink things. If he hurts you, then maybe you should look somewhere else. Don't waste your time with someone who's going to take from your happiness."

I tried to smile back. "Thank you." But I wouldn't be needing that advice. I had a feeling that my on-and-off relationship with Suigetsu was finaly over. Now it was just 'on'. And it won't ever be 'off' anytime soon.

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><p><strong>Hooray for character redemption and happy endings! The next chapter is the EPILOGUE. <strong>

**Don't forget to review! (: **


	11. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

_Sakura's POV_

"Bye mom." I said, kissing my mother's cheek. It was a particularly warm day in the city, and I was thankful of the fact that the airport had air conditioning.

"Goodbye, honey." She held me away at arm's length. "I'm going to miss you so much!" she said, pulling me back into another embrace.

"Okay, dear, don't suffocate her." My father said, smiling. My mother sighed and let go, handing me over to my father, who hugged me too.

"Bye daddy." I said into his broad chest. "And I'm sorry you guys had to stop production on your film."

My father looked into my eyes, exact replicas of his own, and said, "Don't be sorry, Sakura. It's not your fault we made a poor casting decision."

"I'm still sorry."

"Wipe it out of your conscience then. The movie wasn't going to be that good anyway. It was too cliché." He laughed.

"So where are you guys going now?" I asked.

"Well, we're headed over to The Land of Water now to prepare for and attend the Mist Film Festival." My mother answered.

I smiled. "That's one of the biggest film festivals in the world! Congratulations, guys."

"Thank you, honey." My mother grasped my hand.

"_Ladies and gentlemen, would Mr. and Mrs. Haruno please report to Gate 90." _A woman's voice echoed throughout the whole terminal.

"Well, I guess I have to let you go then." I said with a smile.

"Goodbye, honey." My father said and kissed my forehead. Mother let go of my hand and together they walked through security. When they'd turned the corner I walked back outside to my car and drove away.

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><p>Sometimes life is one big cliché. There is no way to predict its outcome, and yet perhaps there is a way to change it. No matter what the true answer is, life is meant to be taken one step at a time. There will be troubles and there will be fortunes, but what's good when there is no bad?<p>

I pondered these things while sitting on the roof of Naruto's orange Lamborghini with Sasuke, looking out into the sunset. We'd parked along a cliff in the hills of Konoha for a romantic night spent watching the sun set.

Sitting on a blanket on the ground beside the car, Ino said, "Look guys, it looks like Haruno Tower is glowing!" In fact, it was. The sun was perfectly positioned behind the building and the halo of light surrounding the skyscraper made it look like it was radiant. It made me think of my parents, and I smiled.

Suddenly a chilly breeze passed by and I shivered. Sasuke tightened his arm around me and Naruto draped his jacket over Ino's shoulders. I glanced down to the couple on the picnic blanket and Ino met my eyes. We smiled at each other. Yes, this was how I wanted to spend the rest of my life: with my love and with my friends.

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><p><strong>Yes, that's the end of Modern Day Konoha! :) Thanks for sticking with it, and as always, send in a review if you enjoyed it, or even if you didn't enjoy it! I'd love to hear back from you guys. :) ~Shreedin<strong>


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